Carmen Arvale
Encyclopedia
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 (Latin
arvum). There were twelve Arval priests, chosen from patrician families. During the Roman Empire
the Emperor
was always an Arval priest. They retained the office for life, even if disgraced or exiled. Their most important festival, the Ambarvalia
, occurred during the month of May, in a grove dedicated to Dea Dia.
The Carmen Arvale is preserved in an inscription of AD 218
which contains records of the meetings of the Arval Brethren, but is in a more archaic stage of Old Latin
, likely not fully understood any more at the time the inscription was made. The inscription is written without spaces and contains numerous errors.
One of its interpretations goes as follows:
While passages of this text are obscure, the traditional interpretation makes the chant a prayer to seek aid of Mars
and the Lares
(lases), beseeching Mars not to let plagues or disasters overtake in the fields, asking him to be satiated, and dance, and call forth the "Semones", who may represent sacred sowers. (Cf. Semo Sancus, a god of agriculture and fidelity.) Semones are minor tutelary deities, in particular Sancus
, Priapus
, Faunus
, all Vertumni
, all Silvani
, Bona Dea
.
limen sali, sta means jump over the barrier, stand in standard Latin and probably is an instruction for the dancing priests,
which doesn't belong to the archaic text. Similar instruction for the dancing priests is probably incurrere, but incurre
in other version.
The original text is visualized in. The visualizations contain the word alternei. Hence
alterne i ad duo might be an instruction too.
Unclear image of the carving can be found in Baldi.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
The Arval priests were devoted to the goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
Dea Dia
Dea Dia
In Roman mythology, Dea Dia is the goddess of growth. She was sometimes identified with Ceres, and sometimes with the equivalent Greek goddess Demeter....
, and offered sacrifices to her to ensure the fertility
Fertility rite
Fertility rites are religious rituals that reenact, either actually or symbolically, sexual acts and/or reproductive processes: 'sexual intoxication is a typical component of the...rites of the various functional gods who control reproduction, whether of man, beast, cattle, or grains of seed'..They...
of ploughed fields (Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
arvum). There were twelve Arval priests, chosen from patrician families. During the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
the Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
was always an Arval priest. They retained the office for life, even if disgraced or exiled. Their most important festival, the Ambarvalia
Ambarvalia
Ambarvalia was a Roman agricultural fertility riteheld at the end of May in honor of Ceres.At these festivals they sacrificed a bull, a sow, and a sheep, which, before the sacrifice, were led in procession thrice around the fields; whence the feast is supposed to have taken its name, ambio, I go...
, occurred during the month of May, in a grove dedicated to Dea Dia.
The Carmen Arvale is preserved in an inscription of AD 218
218
Year 218 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Adventus...
which contains records of the meetings of the Arval Brethren, but is in a more archaic stage of Old Latin
Old Latin
Old Latin refers to the Latin language in the period before the age of Classical Latin; that is, all Latin before 75 BC...
, likely not fully understood any more at the time the inscription was made. The inscription is written without spaces and contains numerous errors.
One of its interpretations goes as follows:
- enos Lases iuuate
- enos Lases iuuate
- enos Lases iuuate
- neue lue rue Marmar sins incurrere in pleores
- neue lue rue Marmar sins incurrere in pleores
- neue lue rue Marmar sins incurrere in pleores
- satur fu, fere Mars, limen sali, sta berber
- satur fu, fere Mars, limen sali, sta berber
- satur fu, fere Mars, limen sali, sta berber
- semunis alternei aduo capit conctos
- semunis alternei aduo capit conctos
- semunis alternei aduo capit conctos
- enos Marmor iuuato
- enos Marmor iuuato
- enos Marmor iuuato
- triumpe triumpe triumpe triumpe triumpe
While passages of this text are obscure, the traditional interpretation makes the chant a prayer to seek aid of Mars
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
and the Lares
Lares
Lares , archaically Lases, were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries or fruitfulness, hero-ancestors, or an amalgam of these....
(lases), beseeching Mars not to let plagues or disasters overtake in the fields, asking him to be satiated, and dance, and call forth the "Semones", who may represent sacred sowers. (Cf. Semo Sancus, a god of agriculture and fidelity.) Semones are minor tutelary deities, in particular Sancus
Sancus
In ancient Roman religion, Sancus was the god of trust , honesty, and oaths. His cult is one of the most ancient of the Romans, probably derived from Umbrian influences.-Oaths:...
, Priapus
Priapus
In Greek mythology, Priapus or Priapos , was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. Priapus is marked by his absurdly oversized, permanent erection, which gave rise to the medical term priapism...
, Faunus
Faunus
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Faunus was the horned god of the forest, plains and fields; when he made cattle fertile he was called Inuus. He came to be equated in literature with the Greek god Pan....
, all Vertumni
Vertumnus
In Roman mythology, Vertumnus — also Vortumnus or Vertimnus — is the god of seasons, change and plant growth, as well as gardens and fruit trees...
, all Silvani
Silvanus (mythology)
Silvanus was a Roman tutelary deity of woods and fields. As protector of forests , he especially presided over plantations and delighted in trees growing wild. He is also described as a god watching over the fields and husbandmen, protecting in particular the boundaries of fields...
, Bona Dea
Bona Dea
Bona Dea was a divinity in ancient Roman religion. She was associated with chastity and fertility in women, healing, and the protection of the Roman state and people...
.
limen sali, sta means jump over the barrier, stand in standard Latin and probably is an instruction for the dancing priests,
which doesn't belong to the archaic text. Similar instruction for the dancing priests is probably incurrere, but incurre
in other version.
The original text is visualized in. The visualizations contain the word alternei. Hence
alterne i ad duo might be an instruction too.
Unclear image of the carving can be found in Baldi.