Flamen

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 a flamen (for example Falacer, Palatua, Quirinus and Volturnus) suggests that the office dated back to Archaic Rome. Many scholars assume that the flamines existed at least from the time of the early Roman kings, before the establishment of the Republic. The Romans themselves credited the foundation of the 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.[1] The flamines were circumscribed by many taboos.

The origin of the word flamen is as obscure as are some of the assigned gods. 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.[2] Indo-Europeanist Georges Dumézil attempted to link it to the Sanskrit word brahman.[3] This etymology is still controversial. Another explanation for the origin of the word flamen is believed by Cyril Bailey to come from the word flare which means "to blow". The reasoning is justified because it was the Flamen's job to keep the flame of the particular deity they were responsible for, burning.[4]

This was a sacred position within Roman society, however it could be used for political reasons. Certain people could be appointed as flamen to stop them from gaining power. An example being that flamens were not allowed to ride a horse, therefore this would make it extremely difficult for such a person to lead and command an army.[5] Attaining such a position also didn't allow the Flamen to run or hold a political office. There may have been Flamens appointed simply to stop their progression in power and politics for reasons such as making enemies or simply jealousy.[6]

The flamen was a high position within Roman society and religion, therefore people were chosen for several different reasons. In the case of the Flamen Dials they were appointed by the Pontifex Maximus. Three nominations were given to the pontifex maximus by the Pontifical College which Roman's believed to be the most worthy of such position. The Pontifex Maximus did not just select a new Flamen Dials but "scrutinized each candidate's qualifications in order to ensure that he and his wife were fit to serve"[7] After the Flamen and his wife were chosen they then had to participate in a Roman tradition and ceremony known as captio This ceremony was performed by an Augur. It was the Augur's job to make sure the gods would accept the new Flamen. This was done by asking for the king of the gods, Jupiter's blessing, and the gods would respond by providing the proper signs to the people. This ceremony was known as comity calata (convoked assembly) which was performed on the top of the Capitoline Hill[8]

Such a position in Roman society came with many privileges which in turn gave Flamen's a unique power within Rome. In the case of the Law and Criminal courts, the Flamen wielded great power. When a person was deemed a criminal they could appeal to a flamen who had the power of pardoning criminals, and thus they were actively cultivated by higher ups in society. There were also several other privileges that the Flamen possessed. Bailey says that these were the exemption from the Patria Potestas (lit. power of the father) of his father, the wearing of the toga praetexta and the privileges of having a lictor of his own, of sitting on the curule chair, and having an ex officio place in the Senate"[9] During the sack of Rome by the Gauls in 390 BCE, the Flamen's were also given a special task. In an attempt to preserve Roman culture and history, the Flamens and other religious orders such as the vestals were in charge of the sacred and religious items of Rome. Their objective was to take these treasures out of Rome so they wouldn't be destroyed by the Gauls. "Their sacred cult should not be abandoned as long as a single person survived to observe it"[10] The Flamens were also prohibited from many different actions and rituals. In the case of death Flamens were in charge of performing ritual sacrificing. However, other than that, contact with anything related to death was prohibited so that the Flamen could still part take in his religious duties. One extreme example would be in the case of the Flamen's wife or Flaminica. They were not allowed to wear Calcei Morticini, "shoes made from the skin of an animal that had died of natural causes." Since the animal was not part of a religious ritual or offered to the gods, these shoes would be seen as not pure and disrespectful to the gods.[11]Another disadvantage of the Flamen was they "were also forbidden to touch, see, or refer to yeast, raw meat, goats, dogs, ivy, or beans;" the reason these were prohibited from the Flamen was that they could potentially interfere with his religious practices. Most of were associated with being unsanitary or associated with death. When these Flamen would have to perform ritual sacrifices it would almost be impossible for the flamen to avoid contact with raw meat. However Roman accounts don't include such events in their writings.[11] Another thing Flamen's were forbidden from was binding. They could not be bound to anything because it could hinder and jeopardize their position as flamen. Therefore, the only bind they were tied to was their religious position and priesthood[12]

The marriage of a Flamen was extremely important because it was one of the requirements needed to be eligible for the Flamen position. The Flamen and his wife (the Flaminica) did have to come from a Patrician background and the parents had to be married through the ancient ceremony of confarreatio. This only applied to the Flamen because when they married his wife would become part of his family.[13] Through the process of confarreatio, the wife or Flaminica would pass from the manus (hand) of her father, to the hand of her husband which would transfer the authority her father had over her to her husband who would also become part of the religious cult.[14] When choosing a Flaminica, it was required that she had to be a virgin before the marriage to her husband and hopeful flamen and therefore had to be unmarried previously.[15] The position of Flamen was also heavily dependent on the Flaminica because they both served together. In the result of death whether it was the Flamen or the Flaminica, the surviving priest would then step down from their position because they could not be a Flamen by themselves. It was viewed as unlucky in such a position to be widowed so they could not marry again and stay a flamen or flaminica.[16]After the marriage of the Flamen and Flaminica they could not be separated or divorced. The only way to escape such a situation was through death, the reason being, once they attained such a position they became the direct property of the deity they were assigned to, and responsible as their image on Earth.[17] Since they ruled together they were also responsible for performing certain rituals together. Although during such rituals, many of the actions and the roles of the Flaminica are often neglected for unknown reasons. During certain practices and rituals the Flamen and Flaminica had to follow certain rules such as absenting during purification rituals.[18] Another ritual practiced by the priest and priestess was their bed. Only the Flamen and Flaminica were allowed to sleep in the bed for ritual reasons and under no circumstance could they spend the night away from the bed for any longer than three days. The purpose being to create and ensure a strong relationship between the couple. The end of the bed was also lined with "a thin layer of clay."[19]

The official costume of a flamen, allegedly of great antiquity, was a hat called an apex and a heavy 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 to hold it around his throat.[20] 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.[21] This was the traditional outfit during a ritual or sacrifice performed by the flamen. The flamen would not wear the laena on a daily occurrence. The flamen would also wear special shoes known as calcei.[22] The importance of the Flamen dress is that it represented status. Only Flamen were able to wear such a costume which separated them from average citizens and also politicians and military figures. The responsibility for the creation of such a costume fell in the hands of the Flaminica. The costume was made by hand and the use of a ritual blade known as secespikta.[22] Clothing was also used as a symbol because it defined social status. These priests wore special clothing to separate them from plebeians and other patricians. The laena had to be made of complete wool because it was seen as pure and the most appropriate clothing to serve the gods.

The Flamen and wife the Flamincia had special roles that could not be done by the other. This position in Roman society was held to a specific standard with strict rules. The Flamen could not perform the duties of the Flamincia and she could not perform the duties of her husband. One example would be the honour killing and sacrifice of a Ram, which was a known as an offering to Jupiter and could only be done by the Flamincia on market days.[23] The Flamen couldn't perform their scared duties without the Flamincia. These positions of serving the gods were meant to be served together as husband and wife. This was a partnership where each person was dependent on the other. This is the reason why, when one died, the other would have to step down, because they were not allowed to replace their partner or continue by themselves.

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) of the Roman state.[24] Thereafter, any deceased emperor could be made divus by vote of the senate and consent of his successor, and as a divus he would be served by a flamen. The flamen's role in relation to living emperors is uncertain; no living emperor is known to have received official divine worship;[25] see Imperial cult.

A flamen could also be represented by a proflamen, or by a member without that title who could act as a substitute for the flamen (qui vice flaminis fungebatur).[26]

Flamines, distinguished by their pointed apices, as part of a procession on the Augustan Altar of Peace

The twelve flamines minores could be plebeians.[27] Some of the deities whose cult they tended were rather obscure, and only ten are known by name:

• Flamen Carmentalis, the flamen for Carmentis
• Flamen Cerialis, for Ceres
• Flamen Falacer, for Falacer
• Flamen Floralis, for Flora
• Flamen Furrinalis, for Furrina
• Flamen Palatualis, for Palatua
• Flamen Pomonalis, for Pomona
• Flamen Portunalis, for Portunus
• Flamen Volcanalis, for Vulcan
• Flamen Volturnalis, for Volturnus

There were two other flamines minores during the Republican period, but the names of the deities they cultivated are unknown. The flamines minores seem mostly connected to agriculture or local cults. The change to an urban way of life may explain why these deities lost their importance or fell into oblivion.

The Floralis and Pomonalis are not recorded in calendars as their festivals were moveable. Some information exists for the ritual roles of the Portunalis in connection with the cult of the god Quirinus and Volcanalis in connexion with the cult of the goddess Maia on the Kalends of May.[28] Also preserved is the list of deities invoked by the flamen Cerialis when he officiated at sacrifices to the goddesses Ceres and Tellus.[29]

Scholars disagree about some differences among flamines maiores and minores. Some maintain the difference was not substantial.[30] Others, among them Dumézil,[31] believe that inherent differences lay in the right of the auspicia maiora and the ritual of inauguration that concerned only the maiores[32] by birth as farreati, that is, as children of parents married through the ritual of confarreatio, which was the form of marriage in turn required for maiores. The maiores also had the privilege of having calatores, assistants who carried out day-to-day business.[33] The difference would thus be akin to that between magistracies with imperium and those with potestas only.

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