Rex sacrorum

In ancient Roman religion, the ''rex sacrorum'' ("king of the sacred things", also sometimes ''rex sacrificulus'') was a senatorial priesthood reserved for patricians. Although in the historical era, the '' pontifex maximus'' was the head of Roman state religion, Festus says that in the ranking of the highest Roman priests (''ordo sacerdotum''), the ''rex sacrorum'' was of highest prestige, followed by the '' flamines maiores'' ('' Flamen Dialis'', '' Flamen Martialis'', '' Flamen Quirinalis'') and the ''pontifex maximus''. The ''rex sacrorum'' was based in the Regia.

Description

During the Roman Republic, the ''rex sacrorum'' was chosen by the ''pontifex maximus'' from a list of patricians submitted by the College of Pontiffs. A further requirement was that he be born from parents married through the ritual of '' confarreatio'', which was also the form of marriage he himself had to enter. His wife, the ''regina sacrorum'', also performed religious duties specific to her role. Marriage was thus such a fundamental part of the priesthood that if the ''regina'' died, the ''rex'' had to resign. The ''rex sacrorum'' was above the ''pontifex maximus'', although he was more or less a powerless figurehead.

The ''rex sacrorum'' wore a toga, the undecorated soft "shoeboot" ''( calceus)'', and carried a ceremonial axe; as a priest of archaic Roman religion, he sacrificed '' capite velato'', with head covered. The ''rex'' held a sacrifice on the Kalends of each month. On the Nones, he announced the dates of festivals for the month. On March 24 and May 24, he held a sacrifice in the Comitium. In addition to these duties the ''rex sacrorum'' seems to have functioned as the high priest of Janus.

The ''rex sacrorum'' was a feature of Italic religion and possibly also Etruscan. The title is found in Latin cities such as Lanuvium, Tusculum, and Velitrae. At Rome the priesthood was deliberately depoliticized; the ''rex sacrorum'' was not elected, and his inauguration was merely witnessed by a '' comitia calata'', an assembly called for the purpose. Like the '' flamen Dialis'' but in contrast to the pontiffs and augurs, the ''rex'' was barred from a political and military career. He was thus not a "decayed king"; rather, after the overthrow of the kings of Rome, the office of ''rex sacrorum'' fulfilled at least some of the sacral duties of kingship, with the consuls assuming political power and military command, as well as some sacral functions. It is a matter of scholarly debate as to whether the ''rex sacrorum'' was created during the formation of the Republic, as Arnaldo Momigliano argued, or had existed in the Regal period.

Regina sacrorum

As the wife of the ''rex sacrorum'', the ''regina sacrorum'' ("queen of the sacred things") was a high priestess who carried out ritual duties only she could perform. On the Kalends of every month, the ''regina'' presided at the sacrifice of a sow ''(porca)'' or female lamb ''(agna)'' to Juno. The highly public nature of these sacrifices, like the role of the Vestals in official Roman religion, contradicts the commonplace notion that women's religious activities in ancient Rome were restricted to the private or domestic sphere. Unlike the Vestals, however, the ''regina sacrorum'' and the '' flaminica Dialis'' (the wife of the ''flamen Dialis'' or high priest of Jupiter) were complements to a male partner; these two priesthoods were gender-balanced and had shared duties.

While performing her rituals, the ''regina'' wore a headdress called the ''arculum'', formed from a garland of pomegranate twigs tied up with a white woolen thread. The ''rex'' and ''regina sacrorum'' were required to marry by the ritual of '' confarreatio'', originally reserved for patricians, but after the '' Lex Canuleia'' of 445 BC, it is possible that the ''regina'' could have been plebeian.

Inscriptions record the names of a few ''reginae sacrorum'', including Sergia Paullina, the wife of Cn. Pinarius Cornelius Severus, shortly before 112 AD, and Manlia Fadilla around the 2nd/3rd century AD.Jörg Rüpke, ''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, originally published in German 2005), pp. 223, 783, 840.

Decline and later use

The office of ''rex sacrorum'' was not a highly coveted position among the patricians, for although the ''rex sacrorum'' was technically superior to the pontiffs, the rank conferred no real political gain. Because of this there would be some years without a ''rex sacrorum'' at all. By the time of Antony's civil war the office was entirely in disuse, but seems to have been revived later by Augustus as there was mention of it during the empire until it was probably abolished by Theodosius I.William Smith, Charles Anthon ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' 1870 p. 837

In popular culture

* "The King of Sacrifices" by John Maddox Roberts appears in ''The Mammoth Book of Historical Detectives'', edited by Michael Ashley. (Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1995)

See also

* Archon basileus, a similar office from ancient Greece.
* Rex Nemorensis, another Roman priest given the title "king".

References

{{Reflist

Ancient Roman religious titles