ancient Roman religion Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the Roman people, people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as high ...

, the ''indigitamenta'' were

lists of deities This is an index of lists of deity, deities of the different religions, cultures and mythologies of the world. * List of deities by classification * Lists of deities by cultural sphere * List of fictional deities * List of goddesses * List of pe ...

kept by the

College of Pontiffs The College of Pontiffs (; see ''collegium'') was a body of the ancient Rome, ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the Religion in ancient Rome, state religion. The college consisted of the ''pontifex maximus'' an ...

to assure that the correct divine names were invoked for public prayers. These lists or books probably described the nature of the various deities who might be called on under particular circumstances, with specifics about the sequence of

invocation Invocation is the act of calling upon a deity, spirit, or supernatural force, typically through prayer, ritual, or spoken formula, to seek guidance, assistance, or presence. It is a practice found in numerous religious, spiritual, and esote ...

. The earliest ''indigitamenta'', like many other aspects of Roman religion, were attributed to

Numa Pompilius Numa Pompilius (; 753–672 BC; reigned 715–672 BC) was the Roman mythology, 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 ins ...

, second

king of Rome The king of Rome () was the ruler of the Roman Kingdom, a legendary period of Roman history that functioned as an elective monarchy. According to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city in 753 BC upon the Palatine H ...

Sources

The books of the Pontiffs are known only through scattered passages preserved throughout

Latin literature Latin literature includes the essays, histories, poems, plays, and other writings written in the Latin language. The beginning of formal Latin literature dates to 240 BC, when the first stage play in Latin was performed in Rome. Latin literatur ...

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) 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 Virgil and Cicero). He is sometimes call ...

is assumed to have drawn on direct knowledge of the lists in writing his now-fragmentary theological books, which were used as a reference by the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...

for their mocking catalogues of minor deities. As

William Warde Fowler William Warde Fowler (16 May 1847 – 15 June 1921) was an English historian and ornithologist, and tutor at Lincoln College, Oxford. He was best known for his works on ancient Roman religion Religion in ancient Rome consisted of vary ...

noted,

the good Fathers tumbled the whole collection about sadly in their search for material for their mockery, having no historical or scientific object in view; with the result that it now resembles the bits of glass in a kaleidoscope, and can no longer be re-arranged on the original Varronian plan.

Georg Wissowa Georg Otto August Wissowa (17 June 1859 – 11 May 1931) was a German classical philologist born in Neudorf, near Breslau. Education and career Wissowa studied classical philology under August Reifferscheid at the University of Bresl ...

, however, asserted that Varro's lists were not ''indigitamenta'', but ''di certi'', gods whose function could still be identified with certainty, since by the late Republic some of the most archaic deities of the Roman pantheon were not widely cultivated and understood. Another likely source for the

patristic Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics em ...

catalogues is the lost work ''De indigitamentis'' of Granius Flaccus, Varro's contemporary. W.H. Roscher collated the standard modern list of ''indigitamenta'', though other scholars may differ with him on some points.

Form

It is unclear whether the written ''indigitamenta'' contained complete prayer formularies, or simply an index of names. If formulas of

, the ''indigitamenta'' were probably '' precationum carmina'', chants or hymns of address. Paulus defines them as ''incantamenta'', incantations, and ''indicia'', signs or intimations. A further point of uncertainty is whether these names represent distinct minor entities, or

epithets An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

pertaining to an aspect of a major deity's sphere of influence, that is, an indigitation, or name intended to "fix" or focalize the action of the god so invoked. If the former, the ''indigitamenta'' might be described as indexing "significant names which bespoke a specialized divine function," for which the German term ''Sondergötter'' is sometimes used; for instance, Vagitanus gives the newborn its first cry ''(vagitus)''. If the ''indigitamenta'' record invocational epithets, however, an otherwise obscure deity such as Robigus, the red god of wheat rust, should perhaps be understood as an indigitation of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, red god of war and agriculture;

Maia Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; ), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daughter of A ...

, "a deity known apparently only to the priests and the learned," would be according to

Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

an indigitation of the

Bona Dea Bona Dea (; 'Good Goddess') was a List of Roman deities, goddess in Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion. She was associated with chastity and fertility among married Women in ancient Rome, Roman women, healing, and the protection of t ...

. Roscher, however, does not consider Robigus and Maia to have been part of the ''indigitamenta''.

Roscher's list of ''indigitamenta''

Many of the ''indigitamenta'' are involved in the cycle of conception, birth, and child development (marked '' BCh''); see

List of Roman birth and childhood deities In ancient Roman religion, birth and childhood deities were thought to care for every aspect of conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and child development. Some major deities of Roman religion had a specialized function they contributed to this ...

. Several appear in a list of twelve helper gods of Ceres as an agricultural goddess or are named elsewhere as having specialized agricultural functions ('' Ag''). Gods not appearing on either of those lists are described briefly here, or are more fully described in their own articles as linked. * Abeona '' BCh'' * Adeona '' BCh'' * Adolenda, see '' Acta Arvalia'' * Aescolanus, god of copper money ('' aes'') and father of Argentinus (below) * Afferenda, goddess whose purpose was the offering of

dowries A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

* Agenoria '' BCh'' * Agonius *

Aius Locutius Aius Locutius (, spoken affirmation), or Aius Loquens (, speaking affirmation), was a Roman deity or numen Numen (plural numina) is a Latin term for "divinity", "divine presence", or "divine will". The Latin authors defined it as follows:For ...

* Alemona '' BCh'' * Altor '' Ag'' * Antevorta '' BCh'' * Arculus,

tutelary god A tutelary (; also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...

of chests and strongboxes (''arcae'') * Argentinus, god of silver money; see Aescolanus above * Ascensus, god of sloping terrain and hillsides, from the verb ''scando, scandere, scansus'', "scale, climb" * Aventinus * Bubona *

Caeculus In Roman mythology, Caeculus (meaning "little blind boy", from ''caecus'' "blind")Grimalp. 83/ref> was a son of Vulcan (god), Vulcan, and the legendary founder of Praeneste (modern Palestrina). King Caeculus appears in Book VII of Virgil's ''Aene ...

* Candelifera '' BCh'' *

Cardea Cardea or Carda was the ancient Roman goddess of the hinge (Latin ''cardo, cardinis''), Roman doors being hung on pivot hinges. The Augustan poet Ovid conflates her with another archaic goddess named Carna, whose festival was celebrated on the ...

* Catius pater '' BCh'' * Cela, perhaps a title of

Panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...

* Cinxia '' BCh'' * Clivicola, "she who inhabits the ''clivus''," a slope or street * Coinquenda, see '' Acta Arvalia'' * Collatina, a goddess of hills (Latin '' collis'' "hill") * Coluber, marked by Roscher as uncertain * Commolenda or Conmolanda, see '' Acta Arvalia'' * Conditor '' Ag'' * Convector '' Ag'' * Cuba '' BCh'' * Cunina '' BCh'' * Decima * Deferunda, see '' Acta Arvalia'' * Deverra * Domiduca * Domiducus * Domitius, god who preserves the home (''

domus In ancient Rome, the ''domus'' (: ''domūs'', genitive: ''domūs'' or ''domī'') was the type of town house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. It was found in almost all the ma ...

'') of newlyweds * Edusa (also Educa, Edula, Edulia) * Fabulinus '' BCh'' * Farinus '' BCh'' * Fessona or Fessonia, goddess who relieved weariness. * Fluvionia or Fluonia '' BCh'' * Forculus, protector of doors (Latin ''fores'') * Fructesea, another name for Seia '' Ag'' * Hostilina '' Ag'' *

Iana The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is a standards organization that oversees global IP address allocation, autonomous system number allocation, root zone management in the Domain Name System (DNS), media types, and other Internet P ...

* Inporcitor '' Ag'' * Insitor '' Ag'' * Intercidona * Interduca * Iuga '' BCh'' * Iugatinus '' BCh'' * Lactans '' Ag'' * Lacturnus '' Ag'' * Lateranus * Levana * Libentina or Lubentina * Lima, a goddess of the threshold (''limen'') * Limentinus, god of the ''limen'' or '' limes'' * Limi or Limones (plural), guardian spirits (''curatores'') of Rome's ''clivi'' (slopes, streets) * Locutius '' BCh'' * Lucina '' BCh'' * Lucrii (plural) * Manturna, a conjugal goddess who causes the couple to remain together (from the verb ''maneo, manere'') * Mellona * Mena '' BCh'' * Messia '' Ag'' * Messor '' Ag'' * Mola * Montinus, a god of mountains; compare Septimontius * Morta * Mutunus Tutunus or Tutinus * Nemestrinus, god of groves (''nemora,'' singular ''

nemus The vocabulary of ancient Roman religion was highly specialized. Its study affords important information about the religion, traditions and beliefs of the ancient Romans. This legacy is conspicuous in European cultural history in its influence on ...

'')Arnobius 4.7. * Nenia * Noduterensis '' Ag'' * Nodutus '' Ag'' * Nona * Numeria '' BCh'' * Nundina '' BCh'' * Obarator '' Ag'' * Occator '' Ag'' * Odoria * Orbona '' BCh'' * Ossipago '' BCh'' *

or Empanda * Pantica * Parca * Partula * Patella '' Ag'' * Patellana '' Ag'' * Paventina '' BCh'' * Pellonia * Peragenor * Perfica * Pertunda '' BCh'' * Peta * Picumnus * Pilumnus '' BCh'' * Pollentia * Porrima '' BCh'' * Postverta or Postvortia '' BCh'' * Potina '' BCh'' * Potua '' BCh'' * Praestana * Praestitia * Prema mater '' BCh'' * Promitor '' Ag'' * Prorsa '' BCh'' * Puta * Reparator '' Ag'' * Rediculus * Rumina '' BCh'' * Rumon? * Runcina '' Ag'' * Rusina * Rusor * Sarritor or Saritor '' Ag'' * Sator '' Ag'' * Segesta '' Ag'' * Segetia * Seia '' Ag'' * Semonia * Sentia '' BCh'' * Sentinus '' BCh'' * Septimontius * Serra * Spiniensis * Stata Mater * Statanus '' BCh'' * Statilinus '' BCh'' * Statina '' BCh'' * Sterquilinus * Stercutus * Stimula, identified with

Semele Semele (; ), or Thyone (; ) in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (Greek goddess), Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. Certain elements of the cult of Dionysus and Semele ...

* Strenia * Subigus pater '' BCh'' * Subruncinator '' Ag'' * Tutanus * Tutilina '' Ag'' * Unxia * Vagitanus '' BCh'' * Vallonia * Venilia *

Verminus In Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these repres ...

* Vervactor '' Ag'' *

Vica Pota In ancient Roman religion, Vica Pota was a goddess whose shrine ''(aedes)'' was located at the foot of the Velian Hill, on the site of the ''domus'' of Publius Valerius Publicola. This location would place the temple on the same side of the Velia a ...

* Victa * Viduus * Virginiensis '' BCh'' * Viriplaca * Vitumnus '' BCh'' * Voleta * Volumna '' BCh'' * Volumnus * Volupia * Volutina '' Ag''

References

{{Reflist, 30em Ancient Roman religion Roman deities