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Numa
The choice fell upon the wise and
pious Numa Pompilius, a native of the Sabines. The forty-three years of
Numa's reign provided a period of stability without any war
or any calamity.
As Romulus was the founder of the political institutions of
Rome, so Numa was the author of the religious institutions.
Numa and the Establishment
of Religious Institutions in Ancient Rome
According to Ancient Roman
mythology Numa was instructed by the nymph Egeria, whom he met in the sacred
grove of Aricia. Following the meeting Numa instituted the Pontiffs, four in number,
with a Pontifex Maximus at their head, who had the general
superintendence of religion. Numa also instituted the Augurs, also four in
number, who consulted the will of the gods on all occasions,
both private and public. Next three Flamens were established, each of whom
attended to the worship of the separate deities of Jupiter,
Mars, and Quirinus. Numa then established roles for four Vestal Virgins, who kept alive the
sacred fire of Vesta brought from Alba Longa. (The number of
Vestal Virgins was also increased from four to six during
the reign of the fifth king of Rome Lucius Tarquinius
Priscus B.C. 616-578). Twelve Salii,
or priests of Mars, who had the care of the sacred shields
were also established. Numa also reformed the calendar, encouraged
agriculture, and marked out the boundaries of property,
which he placed under the care of the god Terminus. Numa also
built the temple of Janus in Rome, a god represented with two heads
looking different ways. The gates of this temple were to be
open during war and closed in time of peace.
Numa
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