Quindecemviri sacris faciundis
Encyclopedia
In ancient Rome
, the quindecimviri sacris faciundis were the fifteen (quindecim) members of a college (collegium)
with priestly duties. Most notably they guarded the Sibylline Books
, scriptures which they consulted and interpreted at the request of the Senate
. This collegium also oversaw the worship of any foreign gods which were introduced to Rome.
Originally these duties had been performed by duumviri (or duoviri), two men of patrician status. Their number was increased to ten by a Licinio-Sextian law in 367 BCE, which also stipulated that half of these priests were to be plebeian
. During the Middle Republic, members of the college were admitted through cooption. At some point in the 3rd century BC, several priesthoods, probably including the quindecimviri, began to be elected through the voting tribes
.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, the quindecimviri sacris faciundis were the fifteen (quindecim) members of a college (collegium)
Collegium (ancient Rome)
In Ancient Rome, a collegium was any association with a legal personality. Such associations had various functions.-Functioning:...
with priestly duties. Most notably they guarded the Sibylline Books
Sibylline Books
The Sibylline Books or Libri Sibyllini were a collection of oracular utterances, set out in Greek hexameters, purchased from a sibyl by the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, and consulted at momentous crises through the history of the Republic and the Empire...
, scriptures which they consulted and interpreted at the request of the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
. This collegium also oversaw the worship of any foreign gods which were introduced to Rome.
Originally these duties had been performed by duumviri (or duoviri), two men of patrician status. Their number was increased to ten by a Licinio-Sextian law in 367 BCE, which also stipulated that half of these priests were to be plebeian
Plebs
The plebs was the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian...
. During the Middle Republic, members of the college were admitted through cooption. At some point in the 3rd century BC, several priesthoods, probably including the quindecimviri, began to be elected through the voting tribes
Tribal Assembly
The Tribal Assembly of the Roman Republic was the democratic assembly of Roman citizens. During the years of the Roman Republic, citizens were organized on the basis of thirty-five Tribes: Four Tribes encompassed citizens inside the city of Rome, while the other thirty-one Tribes encompassed...
.
External links
- Decemviri Sacris Faciundis in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities at LacusCurtiusLacusCurtiusLacusCurtius is a website specializing in ancient Rome, currently hosted on a server at the University of Chicago. It went online on August 26, 1997; in January 2008 it had "2786 pages, 690 photos, 675 drawings & engravings, 118 plans, 66 maps." The site is the...