In ancient Roman religion, the was the high priest of Jupiter.

The office of Flamen Dialis, and the offices of the other flamines maiores, were traditionally said to have been created by Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome, although Numa himself performed many of the rites of the Flamen Dialis. were nominated by the Comitia, one of whom was selected (captus), and consecrated (inaugurabatur) by the Pontifex Maximus.

From that time forward he was emancipated from the control of his father, and became sui juris. he had a right to a lictor, to the toga praetexta, to the Sella Curulis, and to a seat in the Roman Senate ex officio. This last privilege, after having fallen into disuse for a long period, was asserted by Gaius Valerius Flaccus (209 BC), the claim allowed however, says Livy, more in deference to his high personal character than from a conviction of the justice of the demand. many of considerable Indo-European vintage, a long catalogue of which was compiled by Aulus Gellius to compel constant attention to the duties of the priesthood, and to leave him effectively without any temptation to neglect them. The flaminica was assigned a special ritual attire. Her hair was plaited up with a purple band in a conical form (tutulus), but when she went to participate in the ritual of the Argei, she neither combed nor arranged her hair. Due to inclusive counting, it is hard to be certain if this means 71 or 72 years).

  • Servius Cornelius Lentulus Maluginensis, probably a son of Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Augur. Born , he seems to have become flamen , after the long hiatus that followed the removal of Caesar. But since the first mention of him in office appears in Tac. Ann. 3.58.1 for AD 22, it is very likely he was not the first man to hold the post after the long vacancy. Accordingly, the exact date that Maluginensis became Flamen Dialis is uncertain. Cassius Dio 54.36.1 says the post was filled about 11 BC, a date unwisely accepted by many modern scholars who forget that Tacitus is more reliable and closer to the events than Dio. Tacitus The last known Flamen Dialis. Since he was also consul in AD 211 it seems the restrictions on holding political offices had been removed.

See also

  • Dialia

Footnotes

References

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Bibliography

  • Henri Etcheto, Les Scipions. Famille et pouvoir à Rome à l’époque républicaine, Bordeaux, Ausonius Éditions, 2012.
  • Friedrich Münzer, Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families, translated by Thérèse Ridley, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 (originally published in 1920).
  • Jörg Rüpke, Anne Glock, David Richardson (translator), Fasti Sacerdotum: A Prosopography of Pagan, Jewish, and Christian Religious Officials in the City of Rome, 300 BC to AD 499, Oxford University Press, 2008.

This article is based on a portion of the article "Flamen" from Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, in the public domain.