DOCSLIB.ORG

Il Rex Sacrorum a Roma E Nell'italia Antica

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Il Rex Sacrorum a Roma E Nell'italia Antica EDOARDO BIANCHI IL REX SACRORUM A ROMA E NELL’ITALIA ANTICA Revisione e aggiornamento al 2017 del volume Milano 2010 1 SOMMARIO Premessa (2017) p. 4 Introduzione (2010) p. 5 Capitolo 1. Roma tra monarchia e repubblica: dal rex al rex sacrorum p. 8 1.1. Il rex Romanorum p. 12 1.2. Il passaggio all’ordinamento repubblicano p. 20 1.3. Quando fu istituito il rex sacrorum: fonti letterarie e dati archeologici p. 27 Capitolo 2. I reges sacrorum nell’area tirrenico-laziale p. 38 2.1. Le epigrafi: storia romana e storia italica p. 41 2.2. Un rex sacrorum di Alba Longa o Boville? p. 45 2.3. Il rex sacrorum di Tuscolo p. 52 2.4. Ai confini del Lazio arcaico: i reges sacrorum di Lanuvio e Velletri p. 58 2.5. La regalità sacrale nel Latium adiectum: due attestazioni p. 66 2.6. L’erede del lauχume etrusco p. 71 2.7. I reges sacrorum fuori di Roma: per un quadro d’insieme p. 81 2.8. Appendice I. La Regia nel Foro Romano p. 89 2.9. Appendice II. Il rex Nemorensis e la regalità federale in ambito tirrenico- laziale p. 94 Capitolo 3. Il rex sacrorum nella Roma repubblicana p. 107 3.1. Ordo sacerdotum e collegio pontificale p. 110 3.2. Rex sacrorum e pontifex maximus in epoca alto-repubblicana p. 127 2 3.3. Dal III al II secolo: il prevalere del pontifex maximus p. 134 3.4. Il rex sacrorum nell’ultimo secolo della repubblica p. 149 Capitolo 4. L’età imperiale: il rex sacrorum da Augusto alla tarda antichità p. 156 4.1. Discontinuità e tradizione nel sistema sacerdotale p. 156 4.2. I reges sacrorum attestati fino al III secolo p. 163 4.3. La fine del rex sacrorum e del collegio pontificale p. 173 Capitolo 5. Le attività rituali di competenza del rex sacrorum romano p. 180 5.1. Le festività annuali p. 180 5.2. Il calendario mensile p. 189 5.3. I comitia calata p. 195 Conclusioni p. 203 Abbreviazioni p. 211 Bibliografia p. 213 3 PREMESSA (2017) Dopo l’uscita del mio volume Il rex sacrorum a Roma e nell’Italia antica, avvenuta alla fine del 2010, si è manifestato da parte degli studiosi un interesse crescente e inatteso verso la figura del rex sacrorum. Basti dire che, se fino al 2010 c’erano a disposizione due sole pubblicazioni non enciclopediche sull’argomento,1 tra il 2010 e il 2017 sono apparsi almeno sei nuovi articoli specialistici.2 Proprio la lettura di questi recenti contributi, che aprono prospettive di ricerca nuove e interessanti, mi ha indotto a predisporre un aggiornamento del mio volume, che qui presento; come è ovvio, ne ho approfittato per rivedere completamente il testo dato alle stampe nel 2010, ampliandone alcune parti, sintetizzandone altre e, infine, correggendo errori e refusi. Milano, estate 2017 1 Vedi Introduzione, con note 4-5. 2 A. Koptev, Rex Sacrorum: The Roman King in Space and Time, «Ollodagos» 27 (2012), pp. 51-130; C. Goldberg, Priests and Politicians: Rex sacrorum and Flamen Dialis in the Middle Republic, «Phoenix» 69 (2015), pp. 334-354; I.J. Álvarez Soria, El rex sacrorum: ¿fenómeno romano?, «Antesteria» 5 (2016), pp. 133-152; J. Sheehan, The Sacrificing King: Ancients, Moderns, and the Politics of Religion, in For the Sake of Learning: Essays in Honor of Anthony Grafton I, Leiden 2016, pp. 344-363; F. Glinister, Politics, Power, and the Divine: The Rex Sacrorum and the Transition from Monarchy to Republic at Rome, «Antichthon» 51 (2017), pp. 59-76; M. Humm, La Regia, le rex sacrorum et la res publica, «Archimède» 4 (2017), pp. 129-154. 4 INTRODUZIONE (2010) A dispetto della sua attestazione per buona parte della storia romana, il rex sacrorum è una figura sacerdotale che appare trascurata nelle analisi degli studiosi moderni, sia storici sia giuristi. Infatti, tolte le voci enciclopediche, tra cui si distingue quella scritta nell’ormai lontano 1920 da A. Rosenberg per la Pauly-Wissowa,3 sono disponibili sull’argomento due soli articoli, pubblicati uno da A. Momigliano, nel 1969, e l’altro da J. Loicq, nel 2004: questi peraltro si concentrano esclusivamente sull’origine del sacerdozio, il primo confermando il racconto tradizionale che vede nel re dei sacrifici una creazione degli albori della repubblica,4 il secondo sostenendo invece la tesi risalente alla Storia dei Romani di G. De Sanctis, per cui il nostro sacerdote sarebbe stato il prodotto di un decadimento dell’istituto regio incominciato già nel pieno del VI secolo a.C.5 Per il resto, insieme a un contributo di F. Blaive sulla funzione religiosa della regalità,6 si possono trovare alcuni riferimenti al rex sacrorum negli studi di storia delle istituzioni politiche, sempre a proposito del sorgere della repubblica, o in quelli incentrati sul sistema sacerdotale e in specie sul collegio pontificale, mentre manca del tutto una ricerca complessiva di carattere monografico. Tale situazione colpisce ancora di più se si considera che a un altro sacerdote antico come il flamen Dialis, strettamente apparentato con il rex sacrorum, sono stati ad oggi dedicati numerosi articoli, nonché una specifica monografia.7 3 A. Rosenberg, s.v. Rex sacrorum, in RE, I A, I (1920), coll. 721-726; vedi inoltre G. Radke, s.v. Rex Sacrorum, in KlPauly 4 (1972), coll. 1387-1389, e A. Bendlin, s.v. Rex sacrorum, in NPauly 10 (2001), coll. 937-939. 4 A. Momigliano, Il rex sacrorum e l’origine della repubblica, in Studi in onore di E. Volterra, Milano 1969, pp. 357-364. 5 J. Loicq, Le rex sacrorum: prêtre de la république ou roi déchu?, in Images d’origines. Origines d’une image: hommages à J. Poucet, Louvain 2004, pp. 223-241. Cfr. G. De Sanctis, Storia dei Romani I. La conquista del primato in Italia, Firenze 19562, pp. 387-389. 6 F. Blaive, Rex Sacrorum. Recherches sur la fonction religieuse de la royauté romaine, «RIDA» 42 (1995), pp. 125-154. 7 Basti qui ricordare gli articoli più significativi: W. Poetscher, Flamen Dialis, «Mnemosyne» 21 (1968), pp. 215-239; A.W.J. Holleman, An enigmatic function of the flamen Dialis and the Augustan Reform, «Numen» 20 (1973), pp. 222-228; N. Boëls, Le statut religieux de la Flaminica Dialis, «REL» 51 (1973), pp. 77-100; G. Martorana, Osservazioni sul flamen 5 Il mio lavoro costituisce dunque il tentativo di colmare una lacuna negli studi moderni: composto di cinque Capitoli, si propone di raccogliere e analizzare tutta la documentazione disponibile – soprattutto letteraria ed epigrafica –, con l’obiettivo di ricostruire non solo l’origine del sacerdozio, bensì anche le sue successive vicende nel contesto sacerdotale della res publica, seguendo una parabola cronologica che va dall’età arcaica alla fine del paganesimo. Nel Capitolo Primo viene ripresa e discussa la delicata questione dell’abbattimento della monarchia, ma solo al fine di chiarire come, proprio in tale circostanza, potesse inserirsi l’avvento di un rex sacrorum: pertanto si parte da una messa a punto dei sicuri caratteri ascrivibili alla monarchia romana, delle cui funzioni sacrali il nostro sacerdote viene presentato dalle fonti quale necessario erede, e si giunge a considerare le evidenze archeologiche, che verso la fine del VI secolo attestano un’eloquente trasformazione nel sito della Regia e, più in generale, nella zona del Foro Romano. Il Capitolo Secondo, il più articolato di tutti, costituisce un ampliamento del tema affrontato nel Primo: il punto di partenza è sempre il periodo compreso tra il VI e il V secolo, ma gli orizzonti dell’indagine vengono di seguito allargati in senso cronologico e geografico, per concentrarsi sulla storia di tutte le città dell’area tirrenico-laziale dove sono attestati reges sacrorum. Il materiale a disposizione è quasi esclusivamente epigrafico e databile a epoca non anteriore alla tarda repubblica, quando Roma aveva già allargato il suo dominio sul resto dell’Italia: la ricerca verte allora sull’effettiva origine di tutti questi reges sacrorum italici e, in ultima analisi, sul possibile rapporto di dipendenza rispetto al modello romano.8 Conclude la discussione un’appendice Dialis, in Philias Charin. Miscellanea di studi classici in onore di E. Manni, Roma 1980, pp. 1449-1475. Monografia: F. Marco Simόn, Flamen Dialis. El sacerdote de Júpiter en la religión romana, Madrid 1996. 8 Non si tengono invece in considerazione i pochi reges sacrorum attestati fuori dell’Italia: questi sono senza dubbio sacerdoti locali rinominati alla latina, a seguito della conquista romana: sull’argomento cfr. C. Gabrielli, Il rex sacrorum in Africa: testimonianze e problematiche, «SHHA» 21 (2003), pp. 133-137. 6 dedicata alla funzione storica del rex Nemorensis, il re-sacerdote che ancora in età imperiale aveva sede nel nemus Aricinum e che è divenuto famoso, presso i lettori moderni, grazie agli studi comparativi di J.G. Frazer sul suo feroce e arcaico rituale di successione.9 Dopo il censimento dei reges sacrorum italici, l’indagine torna a fondarsi sul più documentato istituto romano, per seguirlo lungo i secoli della repubblica e quelli dell’impero, che sono l’argomento rispettivamente dei Capitoli Terzo e Quarto. Qui si elabora innanzitutto una schedatura prosopografica di coloro che a Roma sono noti per essere stati reges sacrorum, necessaria per individuare i requisiti politico-sociali richiesti per l’accesso al sacerdozio. Di conseguenza, si tenta di delineare non solo il complessivo prestigio del rex sacrorum, ma specialmente la sua importanza rispetto agli altri più antichi sacerdoti della città – i flamini maggiori e il pontefice massimo –, nonché l’eventuale evoluzione maturata col tempo nei loro rapporti reciproci. Quanto all’età imperiale, il rex sacrorum è documentato fino alla tarda antichità grazie alle epigrafi e agli autori cristiani di III e IV secolo: la ricerca giunge quindi a trattare della legislazione antipagana di Graziano e Teodosio, così da verificarne le modalità di incidenza sulla struttura sacerdotale di Roma.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Vestal Virgins and Their Families
    Vestal Virgins and Their Families Andrew B. Gallia* I. INTRODUCTION There is perhaps no more shining example of the extent to which the field of Roman studies has been enriched by a renewed engagement with anthropology and other cognate disciplines than the efflorescence of interest in the Vestal virgins that has followed Mary Beard’s path-breaking article regarding these priestesses’ “sexual status.”1 No longer content to treat the privileges and ritual obligations of this priesthood as the vestiges of some original position (whether as wives or daughters) in the household of the early Roman kings, scholars now interrogate these features as part of the broader frameworks of social and cultural meaning through which Roman concepts of family, * Published in Classical Antiquity 34.1 (2015). Early versions of this article were inflicted upon audiences in Berkeley and Minneapolis. I wish to thank the participants of those colloquia for helpful and judicious feedback, especially Ruth Karras, Darcy Krasne, Carlos Noreña, J. B. Shank, and Barbara Welke. I am also indebted to George Sheets, who read a penultimate draft, and to Alain Gowing and the anonymous readers for CA, who prompted additional improvements. None of the above should be held accountable for the views expressed or any errors that remain. 1 Beard 1980, cited approvingly by, e.g., Hopkins 1983: 18, Hallett 1984: x, Brown 1988: 8, Schultz 2012: 122. Critiques: Gardner 1986: 24-25, Beard 1995. 1 gender, and religion were produced.2 This shift, from a quasi-diachronic perspective, which seeks explanations for recorded phenomena in the conditions of an imagined past, to a more synchronic approach, in which contemporary contexts are emphasized, represents a welcome methodological advance.
    [Show full text]
  • Roman Religion
    4 Roman Religion 1. “By pietas and fides the Romans Reached TheiR PResent eminence” the strength of Rome rested on a number of foundations. Among these were its extraordinarily vital political culture and its capacity to sustain warfare for extended periods of time. Previous chapters have emphasized these features, but in this chapter and the next, focus shifts to less obvious sources of Rome’s strength, namely the special character of its society whose dual foundations were the household and the civic religion of the city. Roman Religiosity during the period of the Republic, outsiders were struck by the religiosity of the Romans. In the second century b.c., Polybius, a Greek statesman and historian who lived much of his adult life in Rome, claimed that it was “scrupulous fear of the gods that kept the Roman commonwealth together” (6.56). A century or so later another expatriate Greek, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, was also impressed by the concern of Romans for religion. Writing about the second king of Rome, dionysius noted that as a result of Numa’s activities, Rome possessed more religious observances than any other city “Greek or non-Greek, even among those who thought of themselves as most god- fearing” (2.63). Needless to say, Romans themselves promoted the belief that fidelity to their oaths and treaties and their general reverence for the gods explained their imperial success. “the gods look kindly on these qualities, for it was by pietas and fides that Romans reached their present eminence” declared the consul Q. Marcius Philippus in 169 b.c.
    [Show full text]
  • Powerpoint%201-25 Compressed
    1/24/12 • Monarchy (tradionally, 753-509 BC): - 7 kings, starng with Romulus (but also a senate) - Last few Kings were Etruscan - Ends when Tarquin the Proud is kicked out - trad. date 509 BC for founding of the Republic • True? Specifics are legend, but, yes, there were kings. • Traces of Monarchy: – Regia (king’s house) – Rex Sacrorum (king of sacred rites) a priesthood in the Republic • Meanwhile in Greece: Homer & lyric poets like Sappho Early Republic (c. 509 to 264 BC) (res publica = commonwealth) - supreme power shared by annually elected officials - constant ext. struggle among small Italian city-states - constant internal class struggle over polical power - military and econ. decline aer end of monarchy • NB: kingdom and early Rep. not well known. Few historical sources & many legends, later distorons. • Roman literature only begins in 3rd cent. BC, • Meanwhile in Greece: Fih century = Athenian Golden Age, Classical period of democracy, Greek tragedy, & Athenian hegemony. 1 1/24/12 Middle Republic (c.264 – 133 BC) • huge growth, and creaon of “Roman Empire” as we know it. Rome mistress of Italy by 260s, and then dominates West. and East. Med. • establishes internal polical equilibrium between classes (but precarious) • Meanwhile in Greece: • Hellenisc Age- compeng dynases all over East, fighng over pieces of Alexander the Great’s conquests. Late Republic (c.133-31 BC) • Connued external expansion in all direcons • but paradoxically: internal chaos at Rome. Assassinaons, violence, polically sanconed murder, bribery, revolt, and civil
    [Show full text]
  • El Rex Sacrorum: ¿Fenómeno Romano?
    EL REX SACRORUM: ¿FENÓMENO ROMANO? THE REX SACRORUM: A ROMAN PHENOMENA? Ignacio Jesús ÁLVAREZ SORIA1 Universidad de Zaragoza Recibido el 6 de septiembre de 2015. Evaluado el 8 de febrero de 2016. RESUMEN: La comparación entre el rex sacrorum romano, los reges sacrorum latinos y los lucumones etruscos muestra la existencia de un fenómeno general en la zona central de la península itálica por el cual, dentro del proceso de transformación de los sistemas monárquicos en otros de magistraturas, se conservaron o crearon, en el plano religioso, figuras sacerdotales que debían realizar las funciones rituales de los antiguos monarcas. Ello no obsta para que en cada una de ellas se observan particularidades fruto de las tradiciones de cada comunidad; lo que igualmente demuestra que no son resultado de la imposición romana. ABSTRACT: The comparison between the roman rex sacrorum, the latin reges sacrorum and the etruscan lucumons shows the evidence of a general phenomenon in the central area of the Italian peninsula by which, within the process of transformation of the monarchical system in other of magistrates, were preserved or created, on the religious level, priestly figures who were to perform the ritual functions of the ancient kings. This does not mean that in each particular result observed the traditions of each community; which also it shows that they are not the result of Roman imposition. PALABRAS CLAVE: rex sacrorum, lucumon, monarquía, religión, sacerdocio, Italia. KEY-WORDS: rex sacrorum, lucumon, monarchy, religion, priesthood, Italy. El estudio de la zona tirrénico-lacial es de especial importancia para determinar el grado de originalidad y especificidad del rex sacrorum romano y su proceso de aparición; puesto que Roma no puede estudiarse sin tener en cuenta de su entorno, ya que la cultura romana y los acontecimientos de finales del s.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 3 Early Rome
    Chapter 3 Early Rome 1. THE WARLIKE MEDITERRANEAN Romans lived in a dangerous neighborhood. The whole of Italy was an anarchic world of contending tribes, independent cities, leagues of cities, and federations of pre-state tribes. The Mediterranean world beyond Italy was not much differ- ent. During the period of Rome’s emergence (ca. 500–300 b.c.) the Persian Empire consolidated its hold on the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean, including parts of the Greek inhabited world, and for two centuries independent Greek city- states and Persians confronted each other, sometimes belligerently, and sometimes as allies. Simultaneously, individual Greek city states waged wars with each other as did alliances of Greek states among themselves. Wars lasted for generations. The great Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta and their allies raged in two phases from 460 to 446 b.c. and from 431 to 404 b.c. Sixty-five years later, Mace- donians subdued the squabbling city states of Greece, bringing a kind of order to that war-torn land. Four years after defeating the Greeks, the Macedonians under Alexander the Great went on to conquer the Persian Empire. Their power reached from the Aegean to Afghanistan and India, but not for long as a unified state. After Alexander’s death his successors quarreled and fought each other to a standstill. While these wars were going on in the eastern Mediterranean the Phoenician colony of Carthage emerged as a belligerent, imperialistic power in the western Mediterranean. Just a three- or four-day sail from Rome, Carthage was potentially a much more dangerous than any power in Italy.
    [Show full text]
  • La Regia, Le Rex Sacrorum Et La Res Publica Michel Humm
    La Regia, le rex sacrorum et la Res publica Michel Humm To cite this version: Michel Humm. La Regia, le rex sacrorum et la Res publica. Archimède : archéologie et histoire ancienne, UMR7044 - Archimède, 2017, pp.129-154. halshs-01589194 HAL Id: halshs-01589194 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01589194 Submitted on 18 Sep 2017 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. ARCHIMÈDE N°4 ARCHÉOLOGIE ET HISTOIRE ANCIENNE 2017 1 DOSSIER THÉMATIQUE 1 : NOMMER LES « ORIENTAUX » DANS L’ANTIQUITÉ DOSSIER THÉMATIQUE 2 : PRYTANÉE ET REGIA Michel HUMM 87 Introduction. Prytanée et Regia : demeures « royales » ou sanctuaires civiques ? Athènes, Rome et la « médiation » étrusque Patrick MARCHETTI 94 Les prytanées d’Athènes Dominique BRIQUEL 110 Les monuments de type Regia dans le monde étrusque, Murlo et Acquarossa Michel HUMM 129 La Regia, le rex sacrorum et la Res publica 155 ACTUALITÉ DE LA RECHERCHE : DYNAMIQUES HUMAINES ANCIENNES 216 VARIA 236 LA CHRONIQUE D’ARCHIMÈDE Retrouvez tous les articles de la revue ARCHIMÈDE sur http://archimede.unistra.fr/revue-archimede/
    [Show full text]
  • Celts and Romans: the Transformation from Natural to Civic Religion Matthew at Ylor Kennedy James Madison University
    James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses The Graduate School Spring 2012 Celts and Romans: The transformation from natural to civic religion Matthew aT ylor Kennedy James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019 Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Kennedy, Matthew Taylor, "Celts and Romans: The transformation from natural to civic religion" (2012). Masters Theses. 247. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/247 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Celts and Romans: The Transformation from Natural to Civic Religion Matthew Kennedy A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Arts History April 2012 Dedication To Verity, whose faith has been unwavering, and to my mother whose constant encouragement has let me reach this point. ii Table of Contents Dedication…………………………………………………………………………......ii Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….iv I. Introduction……………………………………………………………………1 II. Chapter 1: Early Roman Religion…..…………………………………………7 III. Chapter 2: Transition to Later Roman Religion.……………………………..23 IV. Chapter 3: Celtic Religion.…………………………………………………..42 V. Epilogue and Conclusion…………………………………………………….65 iii Abstract This paper is a case study dealing with cultural interaction and religion. It focuses on Roman religion, both before and during the Republic, and Celtic religion, both before and after Roman conquest. For the purpose of comparing these cultures two phases of religion are defined that exemplify the pagan religions of this period.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Roman Munificence: the Development of the Practice and Law of Charity
    Texas A&M University School of Law Texas A&M Law Scholarship Faculty Scholarship 3-2004 Ancient Roman Munificence: The Development of the Practice and Law of Charity William H. Byrnes IV Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation William H. Byrnes IV, Ancient Roman Munificence: The Development of the Practice and Law of Charity, 57 Rutgers L. Rev. 1043 (2004). Available at: https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/421 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Texas A&M Law Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Texas A&M Law Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANCIENT ROMAN MUNIFICENCE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRACTICE AND LAW OF CHARITY William H. Byrnes, IV* INTRODUCTION This article traces Roman charity from its incipient meager beginnings during Rome's infancy to the mature legal formula it assumed after intersecting with the Roman emperors and Christianity. During this evolution, charity went from being a haphazard and often accidental private event to a broad undertaking of public, religious, and legal commitment. To mention the obvious, Rome was the greatest and most influential empire in the ancient world. It lasted more than a thousand years, traditionally beginning in 753 B.C. as a kingdom under Romulus.' In 509 B.C. it became a republic with permanent tyranny beginning in 31 B.C. under direction of the immortal Julius Caesar.2 The exact date of the end of * Professor and Director, Walter H.
    [Show full text]
  • Mystical Rome V 2.0- July Release Morra Universal Cinematic Game System Contents Chapter Eight: Genre: Mystical Rome
    Mystical Rome V 2.0- July Release Morra Universal Cinematic Game System Contents Chapter Eight: Genre: Mystical Rome ................................................................ 4 Mystical Rome Credits .................................................................................... 5 Target Audience ............................................................................................ 5 Rating and Descriptors: R ............................................................................... 5 Mystical Rome Inspiration ............................................................................... 6 Mystical Rome Budget .................................................................................... 7 Mystical Rome Archetypes ............................................................................... 7 Artisan .................................................................................................... 7 Barbarian ................................................................................................. 9 Bureaucrat ..............................................................................................10 Clergy ....................................................................................................11 Criminal ..................................................................................................12 Druid ......................................................................................................13 Gladiator .................................................................................................14
    [Show full text]
  • Rationalizing Religious Practices: the Pontifical Calendar and the Law
    RATIONALIZING RELIGIOUS PRACTICES: THE PONTIFICAL CALENDAR AND THE LAW Jörg Rüpke . Watching the Moon: The Structure of the Roman Months Roman antiquarians who wrote between the second century bc and the fifth century ad permit the drawing of a detailed picture of the oldest Roman calendar. It consisted of lunar months which had a clear-cut internal structure based on four ritually marked days. The start of the month witnessed the most peculiar proceeding. On a day close to the appearance of the new moon, a ‘scribe’ observed the moon. This person was an assistant to a group of Roman patricians who were referred to as pontiffs and were entrusted for life with all manner of domestic political issues, especially legal and sacral tasks. The goal of this observation was to estimate how many days remained until the first quarter of the moon (or a comparable set measurement). Along with the rex sacrorum, the scribe proceeded to a small shrine on the Capitol, the Curia Calabra, supposedly thatched by the city founder Romulus himself (Servius) or located close to the hut of Romulus (Macrobius) in the not quite correct topography of late ancient writers and thus tied to a corner stone of historical memory. Both persons there performed a sacrifice. Afterwards, the scribe (later known as pontifex minor), addressed the goddess thus: “I call to you, Juno Covella! I call to you, Juno Covella! I call to you, Juno Covella! I call to you, Juno Covella! I call to you, Juno Covella!”1 Repeating this call five times signalled to the participants that the public assembly day, which was determined by the first quarter of the moon, would be in five days, counting the day on which the sacrifice and address were performed.2 Depending on the particular phase of the moon, this 1 Varro, De lingua Latina .; Macrobius, Saturnalia ..
    [Show full text]
  • Danuta Musiał Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń
    ELECTRUM * Vol. 21 (2014): 99–106 doi: 10.4467/20800909EL.14.001.2782 www.ejournals.eu/electrum THE PRINCEPS AS THE PONTIFEX MAXIMUS. THE CASE OF TIBERIUS Danuta Musiał Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń Abstract: The Roman emperor accumulated political and religious power, which in republican tradition was divided between magistrates and priests. This does not mean, however, that the boundary between these authorities has been erased, which also confi rms the manner in which the individual ruler held the pontifex maximus function. This article concerns two cases of Tiberius’ interventions as the pontifex maximus recorded by Tacitus. The fi rst event is connected with the choosing of a new Vestal, and the next is related to the fl amen Dialis’ (S. Cornelius Maluginensis) requests for governorship of the province. In both situations, the emperor appeared before the Senate in a dual role; he presented the pontiffs’ opinion as pontifex maximus, and as the princeps he made a decisions on its basis. Key words: Roman religion, princeps, Augustus, Tiberius, pontifex maximus. In republican Rome, religious authority was divided unevenly among the Senate, magis- trates, and priests. Magistrates (mainly consuls) played the key role; they were not only administrators of cults but also the main celebrants of public religious rituals. Priests assisted magistrates as experts, but did not directly preside over cults. Changes introdu- ced under the Principate had little impact on the everyday functioning of public Roman religion, although this was expanded to include the new phenomenon of imperial cult. The fundamental change followed from the accumulation of power in the hands of the emperor, who combined the religious authority of traditional Republican offi ces and priestly authority, previously divided among the amplissima collegia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Goddess Ops in Archaic Rome
    This is a repository copy of The Goddess Ops in Archaic Rome. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/114534/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Miano, D. (2015) The Goddess Ops in Archaic Rome. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, 58 (1). pp. 98-127. ISSN 0076-0730 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2041-5370.2015.12005.x Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version - refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ The Goddess Ops in Archaic Rome When Cicero outlines the laws on religion in his work De legibus, he includes Ops in the list of divinities able to grant mankind access to heaven (cf. 2, 19; 28), alongside Honos, Victoria, Salus, Mens and other divinities sharing names of concepts, i.e.
    [Show full text]