The (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "feasters"; sing. ''epulo'') arranged feasts and public banquets at

festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

and games ''(

ludi ''Ludi'' (Latin plural) were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people (''populus Romanus''). ''Ludi'' were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals, and were also ...

)''. They constituted one of the four great

religious Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

corporations (''quattuor amplissima

collegia A (plural ), or college, was any association in ancient Rome that acted as a legal entity. Following the passage of the ''Lex Julia'' during the reign of Julius Caesar as Consul and Dictator of the Roman Republic (49–44 BC), and their ...

'') of ancient Roman priests.

Establishment and influence

The college was founded in 196 BC. The need for such a college arose as the increasingly elaborate festivals required experts to oversee their organization. There were four great

corporations (''quattuor amplissima

'') of ancient Roman priests; the two most important were the

College of Pontiffs The College of Pontiffs ( la, Collegium Pontificum; see ''collegium'') was a body of the ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the state religion. The college consisted of the '' pontifex maximus'' and the other '' ...

and the college of

augur An augur was a priest and official in the classical Roman world. His main role was the practice of augury, the interpretation of the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds. Determinations were based upon whether they were flying i ...

s; the fourth was the ''

quindecimviri sacris faciundis In ancient Rome, the were the fifteen () members of a college (''collegium'') with priestly duties. They guarded the Sibylline Books, scriptures which they consulted and interpreted at the request of the Senate. This ''collegium'' also oversaw ...

''. The third college was the ''epulones''; their duties to arrange the feasts and public banquets for

and games ''(

)'' had originally been carried out by the pontiffs. The College of Epulones was established long after civil reforms had opened the magistracies and most priesthoods to

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

s, who were thus eligible from its beginning. Initially there were three ''epulones'', but later their number was increased to seven; hence they were also known as the ''septemviri epulonum'', "seven men of the ''epulones''".

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

expanded the college to ten, but after his death it was reduced back to seven. The ''

patera In the material culture of classical antiquity, a ''phiale'' ( ) or ''patera'' () is a shallow ceramic or metal libation bowl. It often has a bulbous indentation ('' omphalos'', "bellybutton") in the center underside to facilitate holding it, ...

'' was the sacred bowl used by the ''epulones''. It was shallow with a raised center so that when held in the palm, the thumb could be placed on the raised centre without profaning the

libation A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid, or grains such as rice, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today. Various substa ...

, as it is poured into the ''focus'', or sacred fire. The ''patera'' was the special emblem of the ''epulones''. The

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

used today by Roman Catholic priests, omits the raised center.

References

External links

Lacus Curtius website: Epulones
from William Smith, ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'', John Murray, London, 1875.

Patera

Ancient Roman religious titles {{AncientRome-stub