The ''Carmen Saliare'' is a fragment of archaic Latin, which played a part in the

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

s performed by the

Salii In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, the Salii ( , ) were the "leaping priests" (from the verb ''saliō'' "leap, jump") of Mars (mythology), Mars supposed to have been introduced by King Numa Pompilius. They were twelve Patrician ...

(Salian

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

s, a.k.a. "leaping priests") of

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

. There are 35 extant fragments of the ''Carmen Saliare'', which can be read in Morel's ''FPL''. The rituals revolved around

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

and

Quirinus In Roman mythology and religion, Quirinus ( , ) is an early god of the Roman state. In Augustan Rome, ''Quirinus'' was also an epithet of Janus, as ''Janus Quirinus''. Name Attestations The name of god Quirinus is recorded across Roman sourc ...

, and were performed in March and October. These involved processions in which they donned archaic

armour Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

and weapons, performed their sacred

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, and sang the ''Carmen Saliare''. As a body they existed before the founding of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

, tracing their origin back to the reign of

Numa Pompilius Numa Pompilius (; 753–672 BC; reigned 715–672 BC) was the legendary second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus after a one-year interregnum. He was of Sabine origin, and many of Rome's most important religious and political institutions are a ...

. The Salian priests were chosen from the sons of patrician families whose parents were still living. They were appointed for life, though they were allowed to resign from the Salian priesthood if they achieved a more prestigious priesthood or a major magistracy. In the ''

Annales Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

'' written by Roman historian

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...

, it is revealed that several Romans proposed the name of

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was an ancient Roman general, known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the Patric ...

to be added to the Salian Song, as a memory of his virtue and goodwill.

Fragments

Two fragments which have been preserved by

Marcus Terentius Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

in his ''De Lingua Latina'', 7.26, 27 (fragment 2 and 1 by Maurenbrecher's numbering): The mysterious ''cozeulodorieso'' has attracted several proposals.

Julius Pomponius Laetus Julius Pomponius Laetus (1428 – 9 June 1498), also known as Giulio Pomponio Leto, was an Italian humanist. Background Laetus was born at Teggiano, near Salerno, the illegitimate scion of the princely house of Sanseverino, the German historian ...

proposed in his ''

editio princeps In classical scholarship, the ''editio princeps'' (plural: ''editiones principes'') of a work is the first printed edition of the work, that previously had existed only in manuscripts, which could be circulated only after being copied by hand. For ...

'' the interpretation ''osculo dolori ero'' "I shall be as a kiss to grief", though his emendations are now dismissed as "editorial fantasy".

George Hempl George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

restored it more carefully to ''coceulod orieso'', attested in some manuscripts aside from the spacing, which is good archaic Latin for classical ''cucūlō oriēre'' "(thou shalt) come forth with the

cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...

". A fragment preserved by

Quintus Terentius Scaurus Quintus Terentius Scaurus was a Latin grammarian who flourished during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian.Holford-Strevens, LeofrancReview of Q. (Quintus) Terentius Scaurus, Federico Biddau, ''Q. Terentii Scavri de orthographia.''Bryn Mawr Classica ...

in his ''De orthographia'' (fragment 6 by Maurenbrecher's numbering): An excerpt of it:''Elegiac poems of Ovid edited by J. W. E. Pearce. Vol. II The Roman Calendar Selections from Fasti'', Oxford, 1914, p. 146
IA

Notes

References

External links

* B. Maurenbrecher: ** ''Carminum Saliarium reliquiae edidit B. Maurenbrecher''; in: ''Jahrbücher für classische Philologie. Herausgegeben von Alfred Fleckeisen. Einundzwanzigster Supplementband. Mit einer Karte. Druck und Verlag von B. G. Teubner'', Leipzig, 1894, p. 313ff.
IA
** ''Carminum Saliarium reliquiae edidit B. Maurenbrecher. Commentatio ex supplemento uno et vicesimo Annalium Philologicorum seorsum expressa. Lipsiae in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. MDCCCXCIV

894 __NOTOC__ Year 894 ( DCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Stylianos Zaoutzes, leading minister and ...

'
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* George Hempl: ** ''III.—''The Origin of the Latin Letters ''G'' and ''Z''.'' By Prof. George Hempl'', in: ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. 1899. Volume XXX'', pp. 26 & 39f.
JSTOR
: ** ''XII.—''The Salian Hymn to Janus.'' By Prof. George Hempl'', in: ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. 1900. Volume XXXI'', pp. 182ff.
JSTORIAgoogle-US
{{Authority control Ancient Roman religion

Fragments

See also

Notes

References

External links