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Carmen Saliare
 
 
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The Carmen Saliare is a fragment of archaic
Archaism

In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula ....
 Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
, which played a part in the ritual
Ritual

A ritual is a set of repeated actions, often thought to have symbolic value, the performance of which is usually prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community by religious or political laws because of the perceived efficacy of those actions....
s performed by the Salii
Salii

The Salii were the "leaping priests" of Mars in Ancient Rome: twelve patrician youths, dressed in outfits worn by archaic warriors. This clothing consisted of an embroidered tunic, a breastplate, a short red cloak, a sword, and a spiked headdress called an apex ....
 (Salian priest
Priest

A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities....
s, aka "jumping priests") of Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
.

The rituals revolved around Mars and Quirinus
Quirinus

In Roman mythology, Quirinus was an early god of the Roman state. In Augustan Rome, Quirinus was also an epithet of Janus , as Janus Quirinus....
, and were performed in March and October. These involved processions in which they donned archaic armour
Armour

Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat....
 and weapons, performed their sacred dance
Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to Motion of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of Emotional expression, social social interaction or presented in a spirituality or performance setting....
, and sang the Carmen Saliare. As a body they existed before the founding of the Roman republic
Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
, tracing their origin back to the reign of King Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius

Numa Pompilius , according to legend, was the second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus. After Romulus died, Romans in the city elected a Sabine man to be king, so as to make him loyal to both tribes in Rome....
.






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The Carmen Saliare is a fragment of archaic
Archaism

In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula ....
 Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
, which played a part in the ritual
Ritual

A ritual is a set of repeated actions, often thought to have symbolic value, the performance of which is usually prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community by religious or political laws because of the perceived efficacy of those actions....
s performed by the Salii
Salii

The Salii were the "leaping priests" of Mars in Ancient Rome: twelve patrician youths, dressed in outfits worn by archaic warriors. This clothing consisted of an embroidered tunic, a breastplate, a short red cloak, a sword, and a spiked headdress called an apex ....
 (Salian priest
Priest

A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities....
s, aka "jumping priests") of Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
.

The rituals revolved around Mars and Quirinus
Quirinus

In Roman mythology, Quirinus was an early god of the Roman state. In Augustan Rome, Quirinus was also an epithet of Janus , as Janus Quirinus....
, and were performed in March and October. These involved processions in which they donned archaic armour
Armour

Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat....
 and weapons, performed their sacred dance
Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to Motion of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of Emotional expression, social social interaction or presented in a spirituality or performance setting....
, and sang the Carmen Saliare. As a body they existed before the founding of the Roman republic
Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
, tracing their origin back to the reign of King Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius

Numa Pompilius , according to legend, was the second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus. After Romulus died, Romans in the city elected a Sabine man to be king, so as to make him loyal to both tribes in Rome....
. The Salian priests were chosen from the sons of patrician
Patrician

The term "patrician" originally referred to a group of elitism citizens in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire became a term for Byzantine Imperial governors in the West....
 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.

Fragments of the hymn
Hymn

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities, a prominent figure or an epic tale....
 have been preserved by Marcus Terentius Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro

Marcus Terentius Varro , also known as Varro Reatinus to distinguish him from his younger contemporary Varro Atacinus, was a Ancient Rome scholar and writer....
 in his De Lingua Latina, 7.26, 27. They say:

... divum empta cante, divum deo supplicate ...


... cume tonas, Leucesie, prae tet tremonti quot ibet etinei de is cum tonarem ...


... cozeulodorieso. omnia vero adpatula coemisse. ian cusianes duonus ceruses dunus Ianusve vet pom melios eum recum ...


Linguists have been unable to translate most of the text; the Latin words that are recognizable in it appear to mention thunder
Thunder

Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, it can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble ....
, Janus, and Ceres
Ceres (mythology)

| Image = Ceres_statue.jpg| Caption = This statue depicting Ceres holding wheat is on display at the Louvre in Paris, France.| Name = Ceres| God_of = Goddess of growing plants and motherly love...
. Even in the 1st century BC, Cicero
Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Ancient Rome philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Constitution of the Roman Republic. Cicero is widely considered one of Rome's greatest rhetoric and prose stylists....
 was unable to interpret much of the chant.

See also

  • Carmen (verse)
    Carmen (verse)

    In Ancient Rome, the term "carmen" was generally used to signify a Verse ; but in its proper sense, it referred to a Spell or prayer, form of expiation, execration, etc....


External links

  • Original text of