19.3 The Role of Myth in Roman State Religion

Roman state religion intertwined myth, politics, and daily life. Priests like the Pontifex Maximus and Vestal Virgins played crucial roles in maintaining divine favor. Divination practices, including augury and haruspicy, guided important decisions.

Festivals and games honored the gods and reinforced social bonds. The imperial cult deified emperors, while concepts like pax deorum emphasized the importance of proper religious observance for Rome's success.

Priestly Roles and Responsibilities

The Pontifex Maximus and Vestal Virgins

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• Pontifex Maximus served as the high priest of Roman state religion
  • Oversaw religious affairs and interpreted sacred law
  • Appointed by the Roman Senate until 104 BCE, then elected by the people
  • Julius Caesar held this position, later became part of imperial power
• Vestal Virgins maintained the sacred fire of Vesta in her temple
  • Consisted of six priestesses chosen from noble families
  • Served for 30 years, maintaining vows of chastity
  • Performed rituals crucial for Rome's well-being and safety
  • Enjoyed special privileges (could free condemned prisoners, owned property)

Priestly Colleges and Their Functions

• Collegium referred to various priestly colleges in Roman religion
• Pontifices managed the state cult and religious law
  • Maintained the calendar and determined festival dates
  • Advised magistrates on religious matters
• Augures interpreted omens and signs from the gods
  • Conducted ceremonies before important state decisions
• Quindecemviri Sacris Faciundis consulted and interpreted Sibylline Books
• Septemviri Epulones organized religious feasts and games

Divination Practices

Augury and Haruspicy

• Augury involved interpreting divine will through natural signs
  • Observed flight patterns and behavior of birds
  • Conducted by augurs before important state decisions (elections, battles)
  • Used a ritual staff called lituus to mark out sacred space
• Haruspicy originated from Etruscan practices
  • Examined entrails of sacrificed animals, especially the liver
  • Interpreted lightning and other natural phenomena
  • Haruspices were often consulted by Roman officials and emperors

The Sibylline Books and Their Role

• Sibylline Books contained prophetic utterances in Greek hexameters
  • Believed to be written by Sibyl of Cumae
  • Consulted during times of crisis or before major decisions
  • Kept in the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill
  • Interpreted by the Quindecemviri Sacris Faciundis
  • Destroyed in 83 BCE, later replaced with a new collection

Roman Festivals and Celebrations

Religious Games and Spectacles

• Ludi referred to public games held as part of religious festivals
  • Included chariot races, gladiatorial contests, and theatrical performances
  • Ludi Romani honored Jupiter, held in September
  • Ludi Plebeii celebrated in November, associated with plebeian class
• Secular Games (Ludi Saeculares) held every 100 or 110 years
  • Marked the end of a saeculum (era) and beginning of a new one
  • Included sacrifices, theatrical performances, and athletic contests

Major Roman Festivals

• Saturnalia celebrated in December to honor Saturn
  • Characterized by role reversals between masters and slaves
  • Featured gift-giving, feasting, and carnival-like atmosphere
  • Influenced modern Christmas and New Year celebrations
• Lupercalia held in February, associated with fertility and purification
  • Young men ran through streets striking women with goatskin thongs
  • Believed to promote fertility and easy childbirth
  • Survived into early Christian era, possibly influencing Valentine's Day

State Religion Concepts

The Imperial Cult and Divine Emperors

• Imperial cult involved worship of emperors as divine figures
  • Began with deification of Julius Caesar after his death
  • Augustus established cult of Divus Julius, setting precedent
  • Living emperors worshipped as gods in eastern provinces
  • Refusal to participate often led to persecution of Christians
• Apotheosis referred to the process of deifying deceased emperors
  • Involved elaborate funeral ceremony and Senate decree
  • Deified emperors received temples, priests, and sacrifices

Maintaining Divine Favor

• Pax Deorum represented the concept of peace with the gods
  • Believed essential for Rome's prosperity and success
  • Maintained through proper observance of rituals and sacrifices
  • Disasters and defeats often attributed to loss of pax deorum
• Lectisternium served as a propitiatory ceremony to appease the gods
  • Involved placing images of gods on couches with food offerings
  • Held during times of crisis or as part of regular festivals
  • Public feasts often accompanied the ceremony, promoting social unity