Acta Arvalia
Encyclopedia
In Ancient Rome
the Acta Arvalia recorded protocols of the priestly brotherhood (sodalitas) of the Arvales fratres
, who emerged from obscurity at the end of the Republican
period as an elite group, to judge from the status of their known members in the Augustan period
. Though their rituals were conducted outside the pomerium
that demarcated the official confines of the city in earliest times, their acta were inscribed in marble tablets fastened to the walls of the Temple of Dea Dia, goddess of the grove
, near the Roman Forum
. The protocols, the earliest of which are testimony of the early Latin language, were mentioned by M. Terentius Varro
, De lingua Latina v.85. "The transcription of the records of this priesthood onto stone provided possibly the biggest coherent complex of inscriptions of the Roman ancient world," Jörg Rüpke has observed. The documentation was restricted to the presence in routine rituals and special occasions (vota) of participating members, the name of the place where sacrifices occurred, and specific dates. The Acta Arvalia are an important source for ancient Roman prosopography
and a useful one for the study of Roman religion
and cultus. Actual liturgies
are lacking: the first instance of a hymn text, the famous Carmen Arvale
in incomprehensibly archaic Latin was not entrusted to publication in a stone inscription until the beginning of the third century CE, when few could have deciphered it.
Fragments of the inscriptions were first recovered by Prof Wilhelm Henzen
, 1866-69. Further fragments subsequently came to light.
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 Acta Arvalia recorded protocols of the priestly brotherhood (sodalitas) of the Arvales fratres
Arval Brethren
In ancient Roman religion, the Arval Brethren or Arval Brothers were a body of priests who offered annual sacrifices to the Lares and gods to guarantee good harvests...
, who emerged from obscurity at the end of the Republican
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
period as an elite group, to judge from the status of their known members in the Augustan period
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. Though their rituals were conducted outside the pomerium
Pomerium
The pomerium or pomoerium , was the sacred boundary of the city of Rome. In legal terms, Rome existed only within the pomerium; everything beyond it was simply territory belonging to Rome.-Location and extensions:Tradition maintained that it was the original line ploughed by Romulus around the...
that demarcated the official confines of the city in earliest times, their acta were inscribed in marble tablets fastened to the walls of the Temple of Dea Dia, goddess of the grove
Sacred grove
A sacred grove is a grove of trees of special religious importance to a particular culture. Sacred groves were most prominent in the Ancient Near East and prehistoric Europe, but feature in various cultures throughout the world...
, near the Roman Forum
Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum...
. The protocols, the earliest of which are testimony of the early Latin language, were mentioned by M. Terentius Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro was an ancient Roman scholar and writer. He is sometimes called Varro Reatinus to distinguish him from his younger contemporary Varro Atacinus.-Biography:...
, De lingua Latina v.85. "The transcription of the records of this priesthood onto stone provided possibly the biggest coherent complex of inscriptions of the Roman ancient world," Jörg Rüpke has observed. The documentation was restricted to the presence in routine rituals and special occasions (vota) of participating members, the name of the place where sacrifices occurred, and specific dates. The Acta Arvalia are an important source for ancient Roman prosopography
Prosopography
In historical studies, prosopography is an investigation of the common characteristics of a historical group, whose individual biographies may be largely untraceable, by means of a collective study of their lives, in multiple career-line analysis...
and a useful one for the study of Roman religion
Religion in ancient Rome
Religion in ancient Rome encompassed the religious beliefs and cult practices regarded by the Romans as indigenous and central to their identity as a people, as well as the various and many cults imported from other peoples brought under Roman rule. Romans thus offered cult to innumerable deities...
and cultus. Actual liturgies
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
are lacking: the first instance of a hymn text, the famous Carmen Arvale
Carmen Arvale
The Carmen Arvale is the preserved chant of the Arval priests or Fratres Arvales of ancient Rome.The Arval priests were devoted to the goddess Dea Dia, and offered sacrifices to her to ensure the fertility of ploughed fields . There were twelve Arval priests, chosen from patrician families. ...
in incomprehensibly archaic Latin was not entrusted to publication in a stone inscription until the beginning of the third century CE, when few could have deciphered it.
Fragments of the inscriptions were first recovered by Prof Wilhelm Henzen
Wilhelm Henzen
Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Henzen was a German philologist and epigraphist born in Bremen.He studied philology at the Universities of Bonn and Berlin, then subsequently travelled to Paris and London, where he furthered his education by becoming fluent in French and English...
, 1866-69. Further fragments subsequently came to light.
Further reading
- Wilhelm HenzenWilhelm HenzenJohann Heinrich Wilhelm Henzen was a German philologist and epigraphist born in Bremen.He studied philology at the Universities of Bonn and Berlin, then subsequently travelled to Paris and London, where he furthered his education by becoming fluent in French and English...
, ed. Acta Fratrum Arvalium quae supersunt (Berlin, 1874) - Mary BeardMary BeardMary Beard may refer to:* Mary Ritter Beard , United States historian and campaigner for woman's suffrage* Mary Beard , British classicist, literary critic, and journalist...
""Writing and ritual: a study of diversity and expansion in the Arval Acta" PBSR 53 (1985:114-62). - Scheid, John. Les frères arvales: recrutement et origine sociale sous les Julio-Claudiens (Paris: Collection de l'École Pratique des Hautes Études) 1975.
- Scheid, John. Romulus et ses frères: Le collège des frères arvales, modèle du culte public dans la Rome des empereurs (Rome) 1990.
- Scheid, John, ed., Comentarii Fraturm Arvalium Qui Supersunt (Rome: Ecole Francaise de Rome and Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, 1998) ISBN 2728305390 , modern critical edition.