 This nail is said to have marked the number of the year.It was in accordance with this direction that the consul Horatius dedicated the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus in the year following the expulsion of the kings; from the Consuls the ceremony of fastening the nails passed to the Dictators, because they possessed greater authority.As the custom had been subsequently dropped, it was felt to be of sufficient importance to require the appointment of a Dictator.