Flamen Divi Julii

Last updated
Bust of Julius Caesar, posthumous portrait in marble, 44-30 BC, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican Museums Gaius Iulius Caesar (Vatican Museum).jpg
Bust of Julius Caesar, posthumous portrait in marble, 44–30 BC, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican Museums

In Roman Imperial cult, the flamen Divi Julii or flamen Divi Iulii, was the priest of the divinised Julius Caesar, [1] and the fourth of the so-called flamines maiores (the archpriests of the Roman flaminates) to be created. The new flaminate was established by the Roman Senate in 42 BC, as part of Caesar's consecration as a divus (divinity of the Roman State) two years after his assassination. Caesar had, in his lifetime, been the recipient of an unofficial divine cult from his supporters, and had designated Mark Antony to serve as his priest. Caesar's cult continued after his death, and in 40 BC, the senate confirmed Antony as the first flamen Divi Iulii.

Contents

Origin and attributes of the office

In early 44 BC the Senate had decided that Caesar would be made a god of the Roman state, under the name and title of Divus Iulius. During the same session the inauguration of the respective priestly office was also decreed and Mark Antony was designated as the first flamen Divi Iulii. [2] The original rationale for the creation of a new flamen maior can be found in early Roman history, when legendary king Numa fathered the third great flamen, the flamen Quirinalis , archpriest of Quirinus, a god of the Roman state who was later identified as the deified Romulus. Julius Caesar identified himself as a "re-founder" of Rome, a descendant of Romulus, the god Mars and, by way of the Trojan hero Aeneas, a descendant of Venus. Romulus' legendary successor, Numa, set a precedent for Caesar to appoint his own flamen maior to serve his cult after his planned apotheosis. [3]

Office holders in the city of Rome

Mark Antony

In his function as pontifex maximus , Julius Caesar himself had chosen his friend and ally Mark Antony for the office, using the ritual of captio (sacred capture). He could not designate his nephew Octavian, because Octavian was his intended political heir. Mark Antony was a close confidant, and a near relative through his mother Iulia, but he was also a plebeian. He had been an augur since 50 BC, and later magister of the newly established luperci Iulii but he had to be elevated to patrician status, and married in a confarreato ceremony, before he could use his augurate on Caesar's behalf as flamen maior. After the peace conference and negotiations at Brindisi in October 40 BC Mark Antony was officially recognised as flamen Divi Iulii by Octavian and Lepidus, Antony's co-rulers in the so-called Second Triumvirate. [4] By then Antony's plebeian wife Fulvia had died and his new wife Octavia, sister of Octavian, had been lawfully wedded to him by confarreatio.[ original research? ]

Sextus Apuleius

After Antony's death the position of flamen Divi Iulii in the city of Rome was assumed by a Sextus Apuleius, perhaps the urban praetor of the same name, or more probably his son; the latter had served with Octavian as consul in 29 BC (and therefore held an augurate), and was promoted to patrician status in that year. [5] [6] He might have been inaugurated before the consecration of Augustus's Ara Pacis Augusteae in 13 BC; some modern scholars speculate that he is portrayed as one of the four flamines maiores on its southern frieze. [7]

Lucius Iunius Silanus Torquatus

For urban Rome only one other flamen Divi Iulii is known, namely Lucius Iunius Silanus Torquatus. [8] He was related to the imperial family, was made a patrician in AD 29 and was elected flamen under emperor Claudius, most probably around AD 41. [9] His official title is given as flamen Divi Iuli et Augusti; the separate offices of flamen Divi Iulii and flamen Divi Augusti were united some time after Augustus' death in AD 14, probably under Tiberius.

Municipal and provincial priesthoods

Marble bust of a flamen, 3rd century AD Portrait of a flamen, Louvre museum, Paris, Ma431.jpg
Marble bust of a flamen, 3rd century AD

Imperial priests played an important role in provincial politics and religion. They held "a status recognized by their privileged position in the assembly, and as eponymous officials." [10] While most Roman priests held their religious office for life, provincial priests in client or allied states might be elected for no more than a year, and be simultaneously rewarded with Roman citizenship. The first developments in provincial cults to Caesar as a living god were in the east, where the worship of mortals and heroes was a long-standing tradition. commonplace. They spread after Caesar's death and promotion as divus, especially in the Caesarian and Augustan colonies such as Ephesus, Corinth, Nicaea, Caesarea Maritima. In the West, they were slower to develop. [11]

Inscriptional sources from Italy

Listed are the known titles of municipal priests of Divus Iulius in Italy from inscriptional sources. [12]

TitleLocationSources
Flamen IulianusAtesteCIL V.2536
Flamen Divi IuliBrixiaCIL V.4384; 4459
[Sacerdos (?)] Divi Iu[li(i)]TerventumCIL IX.2598
Flamen Divi Augusti et Divi Iuli et Divi ClaudiFirmum PicenumAE 1975.353
Flamen Divi Caesaris perpetuusMonteu da Po / IndustriaCIL V.7478
Sacerdos Caesaris [13] Rogno / CamunniCIL V.4966
Flamen Divorum omnium [14] Firmum PicenumCIL IX.5357; 5362–3; 5365 [15]


See also

Footnotes

  1. In the municipalities the office was sometimes also called flamen Divi Iuli (old Republican genitive case), flamen Iulialis, flamen Iulianus, flamen Caesaris and flamen Divi Caesaris perpetuus, maybe also generalized as sacerdos Caesaris.
  2. Lucius Claudius Cassius Dio Cocceianus, Roman History 44.4–6; Marcus Tullius Cicero, Philippics 2.110, 13.41 & 13.47
  3. Richard D. Draper, The Role of the Pontifex Maximus and its Influence in Roman Religion and Politics, Ann Arbor 1988, pp. 337–341
  4. Plutarch, Antony 33.1; the note stating that Mark Antony was made pontifex maximus is incorrect. This office was held by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus at the time until his death in 13 or 12 BC. Lepidus as pontifex maximus will also have been the one repeating Caesar's original captio.
  5. Cp. e.g. Walther Sontheimer & Konrat Ziegler, Der kleine Pauly – Lexikon der Antike in fünf Bänden, München 1979, p. 470
  6. CIL 8.24583 = ILS 8963; alternative spelling: Sextus Appuleius.
  7. John Pollini, "Ahenobarbi, Appuleii and Some Others on the Ara Pacis", American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 90, No. 4 (October 1986), pp. 453–460; the son of the praetor as flamen is also preferred by Martha W. Hoffman-Lewis, The Official Priests of Rome under the Julio-Claudians. A Study of the Nobility from 44 B.C. to 68 A.D., Rome 1955, p. 37
  8. Act. Arv. 41; CIL 6.37162
  9. CIG 369 = IG 3.612
  10. S. R. F. Price, Rituals and Power – The Roman imperial cult in Asia Minor, Cambridge 1984, pp. 62–63
  11. Duncan Fishwick, The Imperial Cult in the Latin West, Leiden/Boston 1980–2005, passim.
  12. Ittai Gradel, Emperor Worship and Roman Religion, Oxford 2002, pp. 376 & 379
  13. Usually interpreted as a priest of Augustus. The inscription could in principle also refer to Julius Caesar, since the flamines are considered a subcategory of the general sacerdotes.
  14. The title denotes a priest for all Divi, possibly including Divus Iulius. The term flamen Divorum was introduced after Augustus' apotheosis. The cult of Divus Iulius was not typical of Imperial cult in general, due to the extraordinary circumstances of his unofficial worship as divine while still living, his murder, and his subsequent apotheosis.
  15. Maybe also CIL XIV.444 (flamen Divorum [ . . . ] [?])

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustus</span> First Roman emperor from 27 BC to AD 14

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the founder of the Roman Empire. He reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. The reign of Augustus initiated an imperial cult, as well as an era of imperial peace in which the Roman world was largely free of armed conflict. The Principate system of government was established during his reign and lasted until the Crisis of the Third Century.

This article concerns the period 39 BC – 30 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lepidus</span> Roman politician and general

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus was a Roman general and statesman who formed the Second Triumvirate alongside Octavian and Mark Antony during the final years of the Roman Republic. Lepidus had previously been a close ally of Julius Caesar. He was also the last pontifex maximus before the Roman Empire, and (presumably) the last interrex and magister equitum to hold military command.

<i>Pontifex maximus</i> Chief high priest in ancient Rome

The pontifex maximus was the chief high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first held this position. Although in fact the most powerful office in the Roman priesthood, the pontifex maximus was officially ranked fifth in the ranking of the highest Roman priests, behind the rex sacrorum and the flamines maiores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman emperor</span> Ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period

The Roman emperor was the ruler and monarchical head of state of the Roman Empire, starting with the granting of the title augustus to Octavian in 27 BC. The term "emperor" is a modern convention, and did not exist as such during the Empire. Often when a given Roman is described as becoming emperor in English, it reflects his taking of the title augustus and later basileus. Another title used was imperator, originally a military honorific, and caesar, originally a surname. Early emperors also used the title princeps alongside other Republican titles, notably consul and pontifex maximus.

Legio X <i>Gemina</i> Roman legion

Legio X Gemina, was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was one of the four legions used by Julius Caesar in 58 BC, for his invasion of Gaul. There are still records of the X Gemina in Vienna in the beginning of the 5th century. The legion symbol was a bull. Early on in its history, the legion was called X Equestris (mounted), because Caesar once used the legionaries as cavalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia gens</span> Ancient Roman family

The gens Julia was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the consulship was Gaius Julius Iulus in 489 BC. The gens is perhaps best known, however, for Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator and grand uncle of the emperor Augustus, through whom the name was passed to the so-called Julio-Claudian dynasty of the first century AD. The nomen Julius became very common in imperial times, as the descendants of persons enrolled as citizens under the early emperors began to make their mark in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of Pontiffs</span> High priests of ancient Rome

The College of Pontiffs was a body of the ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the state religion. The college consisted of the pontifex maximus and the other pontifices, the rex sacrorum, the fifteen flamens, and the Vestals. The College of Pontiffs was one of the four major priestly colleges; originally their responsibility was limited to supervising both public and private sacrifices, but as time passed their responsibilities increased. The other colleges were the augures, the quindecimviri sacris faciundis , and the epulones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flamen</span> Priest in ancient Rome

A flamen was a priest of the ancient Roman religion who was assigned to one of fifteen deities with official cults during the Roman Republic. The most important of these were the three flamines maiores, who served the important Roman gods Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus. The remaining twelve were the flamines minores. Two of the minores served deities whose names are now unknown; among the others are deities about whom little is known other than the name. During the Imperial era, the cult of a deified emperor also had a flamen.

<i>Flamen Dialis</i> High priest of Jupiter in ancient Rome

In ancient Roman religion, the flamen Dialis was the high priest of Jupiter. The term Dialis is related to Diespiter, an Old Latin form of the name Jupiter. There were 15 flamines, of whom three were flamines maiores, serving the three gods of the Archaic Triad. According to tradition the flamines were forbidden to touch metal, ride a horse, or see a corpse. The Flamen Dialis was officially ranked second in the ranking of the highest Roman priests, behind only the rex sacrorum and before other flamines maiores and pontifex maximus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flamen Martialis</span> High priest of Mars in ancient Rome

In ancient Roman religion, the Flamen Martialis was the high priest of the official state cult of Mars, the god of war. He was one of the flamines maiores, the three high priests who were the most important of the fifteen flamens. The Flamen Martialis would have led public rites on the days sacred to Mars. Among his duties was the ritual brandishing of the sacred spears of Mars when the Roman army was preparing for war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Caesar</span> Building in Roman Forum, Italy

The Temple of Caesar or Temple of Divus Iulius, also known as Temple of the Deified Julius Caesar, delubrum, heroon or Temple of the Comet Star, is an ancient structure in the Roman Forum of Rome, Italy, located near the Regia and the Temple of Vesta.

The Roman imperial cult identified emperors and some members of their families with the divinely sanctioned authority (auctoritas) of the Roman State. Its framework was based on Roman and Greek precedents, and was formulated during the early Principate of Augustus. It was rapidly established throughout the Empire and its provinces, with marked local variations in its reception and expression.

Divi filius is a Latin phrase meaning "son of a god", and was a title much used by the emperor Augustus, the grand-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar.

<i>Bellum Siculum</i> Civil war in the Roman Republic (42–36 BC)

The Bellum Siculum was an Ancient Roman civil war waged between 42 BC and 36 BC by the forces of the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey, the last surviving son of Pompey the Great and the last leader of the Optimate faction. The war consisted of mostly a number of naval engagements throughout the Mediterranean Sea and a land campaign primarily in Sicily that eventually ended in a victory for the Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey's death. The conflict is notable as the last stand of any organised opposition to the Triumvirate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Julius Caesar</span> 44 BCE murder of the Roman dictator

Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March of 44 BC during a meeting of the Senate at the Curia of Pompey of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome where the senators stabbed Caesar 23 times. They claimed to be acting over fears that Caesar's unprecedented concentration of power during his dictatorship was undermining the Roman Republic. At least 60 to 70 senators were party to the conspiracy, led by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, and Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus. Despite the death of Caesar, the conspirators were unable to restore the institutions of the Republic. The ramifications of the assassination led to his martyrdom, the Liberators' civil war and ultimately to the Principate period of the Roman Empire.

<i>Augustus</i> (title) Ancient Roman title

Augustus was the main title of the Roman emperors during Antiquity. It was given as both name and title to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus in 27 BC, marking his accession as Rome's first emperor. On his death, it became an official title of his successor, and was so used by all emperors thereafter. The feminine form Augusta was used for Roman empresses and other female members of the imperial family. The masculine and feminine forms originated in the time of the Roman Republic, in connection with things considered divine or sacred in traditional Roman religion. Their use as titles for major and minor Roman deities of the Empire associated the imperial system and family with traditional Roman virtues and the divine will and may be considered a feature of the Roman imperial cult.

Gaius Julius Caesar was a prominent name of the Gens Julia from Roman Republican times, borne by a number of figures, most notably by the general and dictator Gaius Julius Caesar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitutional reforms of Augustus</span> Laws enacted by Roman Emperor Augustus between 30 BC and 2 BC

The constitutional reforms of Augustus were a series of laws that were enacted by the Roman Emperor Augustus between 30 BC and 2 BC, which transformed the Constitution of the Roman Republic into the Constitution of the Roman Empire. The era during which these changes were made began when Augustus defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and ended when the Roman Senate granted Augustus the title "Pater Patriae" in 2 BC.

References

This article incorporates material from the Citizendium article "Flamen Divi Julii", which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License but not under the GFDL.

Further reading