right|thumb|Roman bas relief. The Salian priests carry their sacred shields.

[[File:I salii.jpg|thumb|Relief depicting the Salii (National Museum of Rome - Palazzo Altemps, Rome)

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The is a fragment of archaic Latin, which played a part in the rituals performed by the Salii (Salian priests, a.k.a. "leaping priests") of Ancient Rome. There are 35 extant fragments of the , which can be read in Morel's FPL.

The rituals revolved around Mars and Quirinus, and were performed in March and October. These involved processions in which they donned archaic armour and weapons, performed their sacred dance, and sang the . As a body they existed before the founding of the Roman Republic, tracing their origin back to the reign of Numa Pompilius. The Salian priests were chosen from the sons of patrician families whose parents were still living. They were appointed for life, though they were allowed to resign from the Salian priesthood if they achieved a more prestigious priesthood or a major magistracy.

In the written by Roman historian Tacitus, it is revealed that several Romans proposed the name of Germanicus to be added to the Salian Song, as a memory of his virtue and goodwill.

Fragments

Two fragments which have been preserved by Marcus Terentius Varro in his , 7.26, 27 (fragment 2 and 1 by Maurenbrecher's numbering):

{| class="wikitable"

<!--

| Latin (ed. L.&nbsp;Spengel)

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  • Cosauli, Dolosi, Eso; omnia vero adpatula coemisse. Iamcusianes duonus ceruses dun Ianus venet . pos Melios eum recum…
  • Divum empta cante, divum Deo supplicante.

-->

|-

| Latin (ed. C.&nbsp;O.&nbsp;Muellerus)

|

|-

| Latin (ed. A.&nbsp;Spengel)

|

<!--

|-

| Latin (ed. G.&nbsp;Goetz & F.&nbsp;Schoell)

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  • 'cozeulodorieso. omnia vero adpatula coemisse. ian cusianes duonus ceruses. dunus Ianusue uet pom elios eum recum' * * *
  • 'divum empta cante, divum deo supplicante.'

-->

|-

| Latin (ed. R.&nbsp;G.&nbsp;Kent)

|

|-

| English translation (ed. R.&nbsp;G.&nbsp;Kent)

|

  • O Planter God, arise. Everything indeed have I committed unto (thee as) the Opener. George Hempl restored it more carefully to , attested in some manuscripts aside from the spacing, which is good archaic Latin for classical "(thou shalt) come forth with the cuckoo".

A fragment preserved by Quintus Terentius Scaurus in his (fragment 6 by Maurenbrecher's numbering):

{| class="wikitable"

| Latin (ed. H. Keilius) ||

|-

| Theodor Bergk's conjectured reconstruction ||

|}

An excerpt of it:

{| class="wikitable"

| Latin with metre indicated ||

|-

| Rendering in classical Latin ||

|-

| English translation || When thou thunderest, O god of Light (Jupiter), men tremble before thee

|}

See also

  • Carmen (verse)
  • Carmen Arvale

Notes

References

  • B. Maurenbrecher:
  • Carminum Saliarium reliquiae edidit B. Maurenbrecher; in: Jahrbücher für classische Philologie. Herausgegeben von Alfred Fleckeisen. Einundzwanzigster Supplementband. Mit einer Karte. Druck und Verlag von B. G. Teubner, Leipzig, 1894, p.&nbsp;313ff. (IA)
  • Carminum Saliarium reliquiae edidit B. Maurenbrecher. Commentatio ex supplemento uno et vicesimo Annalium Philologicorum seorsum expressa. Lipsiae in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. MDCCCXCIV [1894] (IA)
  • George Hempl:
  • III.—The Origin of the Latin Letters G and Z. By Prof. George Hempl, in: Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. 1899. Volume XXX, pp.&nbsp;26 & 39f. (JSTOR):
  • XII.—The Salian Hymn to Janus.<!-- <sup>1</sup> --> By Prof. George Hempl, in: Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. 1900. Volume XXXI, pp.&nbsp;182ff. (JSTOR, IA, google-US)
  • Carmen Saliare (Bibliotheca Augustana)