Chapter 10: Roman Religion
Reading 10A: Livy on the Reforms of Numa
• Roman state religion, cults that were administered by the state, was
among the most important aspect of religious ac9vity because it was
closely 9ed to the no9ons of Roman ci9zenship and iden9ty
◦ Avoidance of cults was viewed as a civil dissent and could be
punished
• King Numa- ca. 715-673 B.C.; Second King of Rome and successor to
Romulus; First law-giver of Rome; Set out many of the oldest cults of
Roman state religion; Romans believe he organized priestly colleges
◦ No contemporary evidence for King Numa's existence
• Roman-state and Greek religion had no doctrine (i.e. a set of wriQen
rules to be followed)
◦ Based on orthopraxy (i.e. "proper prac9ce") rather than
orthodoxy
◦ Roman religion wasn't based on belief but, prac9ce
• A lot of Roman prac9ces come for Etruscan prac9ces
Livy, Histories 1. 19-20 Livy. History of Rome.
• Realizing that the ferocity of his subjects (who had just conquered Rome
through war) might be soWened through decreased use of arms, King
Numa built temple of Janus at the foot of Aven9ne
◦ Temple would serve as index for peace and war (I.e. When open=
Arms; When closed= Peace)
• Since Numa's reign, temple shut aWer Punic war (during
consulship of Manlius) and aWer the baQle of Ac9um (during
the 9me of emperor Caesar Augustus)
• Numa feared that removing external danger would induce his subjects
to fall into luxury and idleness
◦ So, Numa strove to inculcate in their minds fear of the gods and
pretended that he had nocturnal interviews with the nymph
Egeria who told him to appoint for each deity his own priests
, • First Reform- Divide the year into 12 months which corresponded with
the moon's cycles; Since moon doesn't complete 30 days in each month,
he inserted intercalary months that would coincide with same posi9on
of the sun every 20 years; Established days for when business could and
could not take place
• Second Reform- To prevent the interrup9on of the sacrificial rites that
the king had to perform, Numa appointed a Flamen as perpetual priest
to Jupiter and ordered he wear a dis9nc9ve dress and sit in royal curule
chair; Appointed two other Flamens for Mars and Quirinus; Appointed
virgins as priestesses to Vesta (which originally occurred in Alba) and
provided them a public wage and had them commit to a vow of chas9ty
(i.e. He made their persons sacred and inviolable)
◦ Note: Archaic triad of gods are Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus
• LaQer two replaced by Juno and Minerva in Republican
period
• Third Reform- Appointed son of Marcus as Pon9fex Maximus and
entrusted to him all regula9ons pertaining to religion
◦ Acted as authority for the people to consult so, as to avoid
confusion arising from foreign rites being adopted and ancestral
ones being neglected
◦ Numa dedicated an altar to Jupiter Elicius on the Aven9ne and
consulted the god through auguries as to which prodigies (i.e.
signs of the gods) were to receive aQen9on
• Argei also developed by King Numa
• So, by Romulus and Numa, the state had become strong and disciplined
by the lessons of war and the arts of peace
Reading 10B: Cicero: Address to the PonHfices
• Holding a state priesthood wasn't a full-9me occupa9on, but an honour
bestowed on senators who were expected to fill these func9ons as part
of their on-going responsibili9es
• Many types of priests with the most important being organized into
priestly colleges (each with its own set of responsibili9es)
◦ Some priests responsible for the hundreds of specific religious
fes9vals
Reading 10A: Livy on the Reforms of Numa
• Roman state religion, cults that were administered by the state, was
among the most important aspect of religious ac9vity because it was
closely 9ed to the no9ons of Roman ci9zenship and iden9ty
◦ Avoidance of cults was viewed as a civil dissent and could be
punished
• King Numa- ca. 715-673 B.C.; Second King of Rome and successor to
Romulus; First law-giver of Rome; Set out many of the oldest cults of
Roman state religion; Romans believe he organized priestly colleges
◦ No contemporary evidence for King Numa's existence
• Roman-state and Greek religion had no doctrine (i.e. a set of wriQen
rules to be followed)
◦ Based on orthopraxy (i.e. "proper prac9ce") rather than
orthodoxy
◦ Roman religion wasn't based on belief but, prac9ce
• A lot of Roman prac9ces come for Etruscan prac9ces
Livy, Histories 1. 19-20 Livy. History of Rome.
• Realizing that the ferocity of his subjects (who had just conquered Rome
through war) might be soWened through decreased use of arms, King
Numa built temple of Janus at the foot of Aven9ne
◦ Temple would serve as index for peace and war (I.e. When open=
Arms; When closed= Peace)
• Since Numa's reign, temple shut aWer Punic war (during
consulship of Manlius) and aWer the baQle of Ac9um (during
the 9me of emperor Caesar Augustus)
• Numa feared that removing external danger would induce his subjects
to fall into luxury and idleness
◦ So, Numa strove to inculcate in their minds fear of the gods and
pretended that he had nocturnal interviews with the nymph
Egeria who told him to appoint for each deity his own priests
, • First Reform- Divide the year into 12 months which corresponded with
the moon's cycles; Since moon doesn't complete 30 days in each month,
he inserted intercalary months that would coincide with same posi9on
of the sun every 20 years; Established days for when business could and
could not take place
• Second Reform- To prevent the interrup9on of the sacrificial rites that
the king had to perform, Numa appointed a Flamen as perpetual priest
to Jupiter and ordered he wear a dis9nc9ve dress and sit in royal curule
chair; Appointed two other Flamens for Mars and Quirinus; Appointed
virgins as priestesses to Vesta (which originally occurred in Alba) and
provided them a public wage and had them commit to a vow of chas9ty
(i.e. He made their persons sacred and inviolable)
◦ Note: Archaic triad of gods are Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus
• LaQer two replaced by Juno and Minerva in Republican
period
• Third Reform- Appointed son of Marcus as Pon9fex Maximus and
entrusted to him all regula9ons pertaining to religion
◦ Acted as authority for the people to consult so, as to avoid
confusion arising from foreign rites being adopted and ancestral
ones being neglected
◦ Numa dedicated an altar to Jupiter Elicius on the Aven9ne and
consulted the god through auguries as to which prodigies (i.e.
signs of the gods) were to receive aQen9on
• Argei also developed by King Numa
• So, by Romulus and Numa, the state had become strong and disciplined
by the lessons of war and the arts of peace
Reading 10B: Cicero: Address to the PonHfices
• Holding a state priesthood wasn't a full-9me occupa9on, but an honour
bestowed on senators who were expected to fill these func9ons as part
of their on-going responsibili9es
• Many types of priests with the most important being organized into
priestly colleges (each with its own set of responsibili9es)
◦ Some priests responsible for the hundreds of specific religious
fes9vals
