flamen

Bust of a flamen, 3rd century, Louvre

A flamen was a name given to a priest assigned to a state-supported god or goddess in Roman religion. There were fifteen flamines in the Roman Republic. The most important three were the flamines maiores (or "major priests"), who served the three chief Roman gods of the Archaic Triad. The remaining twelve, two of whom are unknown, were the flamines minores ("lesser priests").

The fifteen flamines were part of the Pontificial College which administered state sponsored religion in Rome. When the office of flamen was vacant, a pontifex could serve as a temporary replacement, although only the Pontifex Maximus is known to have substituted for the Flamen Dialis.

The official costume of a flamen, of great antiquity, was a hat called an apex and a heavy woollen cloak called a laena. The laena was a double-thick wool cloak with a fringed edge, and was worn over the flamen's toga with a clasp holding it around his throat.^[1] The apex was a leather skull-cap with a chin-strap and a point of olive wood on its top, like a spindle, with a little fluff of wool at the base of the spindle.^[2]

History and etymology

By the time of the religious reformation of Augustus, the origins and functions of many of the long-neglected gods resident in Rome was confusing even to the Romans themselves. The obscurity of some of the deities assigned flamines (for example Falacer, Palatua, Quirinus and Volturnus) suggests that the office was ancient. Many scholars assume that the flamines existed at least from the time of the early Roman kings, before the Roman Republic. This scholarly opinion is in agreement with the belief of the Romans themselves, who credited the foundation of their priesthood to Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome. According to Livy, Numa created the offices of the three flamines maiores and assigned them each a fine robe of office and a curule chair ^[3].

The origin of the word flamen is as obscure as are some of the assigned gods. Indo-Europeanist Georges Dumezil attempted to link it to the Sanskrit word brahmin, but this etymology is controversial. Sophus Bugge suggested in 1879 that flamen is from an older *flădmen and related to the Germanic blót. Both would be derived from a Proto-Indo-European word *bhlād(s)men.^[4] The flamines were circumscribed by many taboos: see Smith.

Flamines maiores

The three flamines maiores were required to be patricians.

The Flamen Dialis oversaw the cult of Jupiter, the sky deity and ruler of the gods.

The Flamen Martialis oversaw the cult of Mars, the god of war, leading public rites on the days sacred to Mars. The sacred spears of Mars were ritually shaken by the Flamen Martialis when the legions were preparing for war.

The Flamen Quirinalis oversaw the cult of Quirinus, who presided over organized Roman social life and was related to the peaceful aspect of Mars. The Flamen Quirinalis led public rites on the days sacred to Quirinus.

A fourth flamen maior was dedicated to Julius Caesar as a divinity (divus, pl. divi) of the Roman state.^[5] Thereafter, any deceased emperor could be made a divus by vote of the senate and consent of their successor, and as a divus they could be served by a flamen. This was one aspect of imperial cult. The flamen's role in relation to living emperors is uncertain; no living emperor is known to have received official divine worship.^[6]

A Flamen could also be represented by a proflamen, or by a member without that title qui vice flaminis fungebatur. ^[7]

Flamines minores

The twelve flamines minores could be plebeians. Some of the deities they worshipped were rather obscure, and only ten are known by name:

• Flamen Carmentalis, who worshipped Carmentis
• Flamen Cerialis, who worshipped Ceres
• Flamen Falacer, who worshipped Falacer
• Flamen Floralis, who worshipped Flora
• Flamen Furrialis, who worshipped Furrina
• Flamen Palatualis, who worshipped Palatua
• Flamen Pomonalis, who worshipped Pomona
• Flamen Portunalis, who worshipped Portunes
• Flamen Volcanalis, who worshipped Vulcan
• Flamen Volturnalis, who worshipped Volturnus

There were two other flamines minores during republican times, but the gods or goddesses whom they worshipped are not known. The obscurity of the gods worshipped by the ten flamines minores makes any speculation about the gods of the remaining two doubtful.

The flamines minores were mostly connected to agricolture or local cults. The change to an urban form of life made some of their deities lose importance or fall into oblivion.

The Floralis and Pomonalis are not recorded in calendars as their festivals were mobile.

We are informed of some of the ritual roles of the Portunalis (in connexion with the cult of god Quirinus) and Volcanalis (in connexion with the cult of goddess Maia on the Kalendae of May).^[8]

There is disagreement among scholars about the differences among flamines mairores and minores. Some maintain the difference was not substantial, as eg Kurt Latte^[9], other^[10] believe their inherent difference was reflected by enjoying the right of the [[Auspicia maiora] and the ritual of inauguration that concerned only the maiores,^[11][12] by birth as farreati ie children of parents married through the ritual of confarreatio and being themselves married through the same ritual required only for the maiores, and for their priviledge of having calatores. ^[13] This difference is considered akin to that between magistracies with imperium and those with potestas only.

References

External links

• William Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 1875: "Flamen"

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