die nefastus

Party Politics in the Age of Caesar
IV. Manipulating the State Religion
Thursday, April 30, 15
Roman Religion
• controlled by nobles
• Polybius:
• a check on common people
• opium of the masses: spectacle/fear
• Quintus Mucius Scaevola PM,
• 3 types of gods: from poets, philosophers, political leaders
• Varro, Cicero- maintain religious mos maiorum for interests of public welfare
• festivals: games, plays, religious processions; banquets; divination
• political weapon
Thursday, April 30, 15
Religion and Divination in Politics
• determine when elections, assemblies
were held
• Roman calendar
• dies Nefastus
• dies Fastus
• dies Comitialis
• 192 days max; 150
• market day (8th day of week)/great games day
• intercalary month (lunar calendar)
• February
• pontifices
• do-over festivals
• thanksgivings of varying length
• consul & moveable festivals
• Clodius’ fasti fix
Thursday, April 30, 15
Religion and Divination in Politics
• auspices- determine if action was ok
• will of Jupiter
• imperium
• magistrates take/augurs interpret
• assemblies
• tent at site btwn minight & dawn
• attendant
• auspicia impetrativa/oblata
• lightning/thunder
• Pompey’s ploy
• Bibulus
• plausible excuse/ substitute for veto
• obnuntiatio
Thursday, April 30, 15
Religion and Divination in Politics
• auspices- cont.
• obnuntiatio Milo
• interrex- patrician (5 day term) 53 BC
• augur advisor present in assemblies
• omens concurrent or belated
• vitium (vitio facti abdicaret)
• non iure rogata
• Crassus & the auguries
• Sybilline Books
• 56 lightning strike & oracle
• Crassus, Lentulus, Pompey & Ptolemy
• Tiber flood
• Pompey & Gabinius
Thursday, April 30, 15
Religion and Divination in Politics
• haruspices
• omens from entrails, etc,
• priests trained in Etruscan lore
• 65 lightning strike
• 10 days of expiatory games
• bigger statue for Jove facing east
• Catilinarian connection/Cicero
Thursday, April 30, 15
Religion and Divination in Politics
• Clodius v. Cicero
• Bona Dea scandal incestus (pontifices)
• Revenge for alibi shredding
• Cicero’s illegal executions
• patrician to plebeian adoption (Pont. Max.)
• Caesar (PM), Pompey (augur) Bibulus watching the sky
• Clodius becomes tribune, legislation to exile Cicero
• destruction of Cicero’s house
• shrine of Libertas
• de Domo (pontifices)
• adoption invalid; endangered survival of patriciate/religion
• Clodius’ laws invalid; violated auspices
• dedication to Libertas invalid: improper form
• 13/15 pontifices rule shrine not properly dedicates
• senate votes to restore house to Cicero
• Clodius resorts to violence & haruspices’ warning of profaning sacred sites
• Cicero counters with details of Clodius’ profane acts
Thursday, April 30, 15
Politics and Public Priesthoods
• 4 colleges of priests
• pontificate
• augurate- most political infuence
• quindecemviri (Sibylline books)
• epulones (Jupiter banquets)
• Pontifex Maximus
• sole magistrate for life
• chooses Vestal Virgins, rex sacrorum, flamines
• presides over the curiate assembly -adoptions, wills
• acts for college of pontifices
• heir to religious power of king, Regia
Thursday, April 30, 15
Politics and Public Priesthoods
• elections
• self appointing
• only patricians at first
• still controlled half the spots in late republic 7/15
• change to elections
• 3rd c. Pontifex Max. by minority of people/ratified by pontifices
• assembly of 17/35 tribes
• only pontifices eligible/blackballing
• 104 assembly also chose priests of all 4 colleges
• Sulla undoes this
• 63 back to assembly
• Caesar v. Catulus Antony v. Domitius
• factional strife reflected in religious matters- augurs
Thursday, April 30, 15