Indigitamenta

Indigitamenta
Religion in ancient Rome

Marcus Aurelius (head covered) sacrificing at the Temple of Jupiter Practices and beliefs

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Pontifex Augur Vestal Flamen Fetial Epulones Arval Deities

List of Roman deities Twelve major gods Capitoline Triad Aventine Triad underworld gods indigitamenta Deified emperors: Divus Julius Divus Augustus Related topics

Glossary of ancient Roman religion Roman mythology Religion in ancient Greece Etruscan religion Gallo-Roman religion Interpretatio graeca Decline of Greco-Roman polytheism

In ancient Roman religion, the indigitamenta were lists of deities kept by the College of Pontiffs 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. The earliest indigitamenta, like many other aspects of Roman religion, were attributed to Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome.[1]

Indigitamenta

Sources
The books of the Pontiffs are known only through scattered passages preserved throughout Latin literature. Varro 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[2] for their mocking catalogues of minor deities.[3] As William Warde Fowler 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.[4] Georg Wissowa, 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.[5] Another likely source for the patristic catalogues is the lost work De indigitamentis of Granius Flaccus, Varro's contemporary.[6] W.H. Roscher collated the standard modern list of indigitamenta,[7] 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.[8] If formulas of invocation, the indigitamenta were probably precationum carmina, chants or hymns of address.[9] Paulus defines them as incantamenta, incantations, and indicia, signs or intimations.[10] A further point of uncertainty is whether these names represent distinct minor entities, or epithets 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.[11] If the former, the indigitamenta might be described as indexing "significant names which bespoke a specialized divine function," for which the German term Sondergtter is sometimes used;[12] for instance, Vagitanus gives the newborn its first cry (vagitus).[13] 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, red god of war and agriculture;[14] Maia, "a deity known apparently only to the priests and the learned," would be according to Macrobius[15] an indigitation of the Bona Dea.[16] 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. Several appear in a list of twelve helper gods of Ceres as an agricultural goddess[17] 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)[18] Afferenda, goddess whose purpose was the offering of dowries[19] Agenoria BCh Agonius Aius Locutius

Alemona BCh Altor Ag Antevorta BCh

Indigitamenta Arculus, tutelary god of chests and strongboxes (arcae)[20] Argentinus, god of silver money; see Aescolanus above Ascensus, god of sloping terrain and hillsides, from the verb scando, scandere, scansus, "scale, climb"[21] Aventinus Bubona Caeculus Candelifera BCh Cardea Catius pater BCh Cela, perhaps a title of Panda Cinxia BCh Clivicola, "she who inhabits the clivus," a slope or street[22] Coinquenda, see Acta Arvalia Collatina, a goddess of hills (Latin collis "hill")[23] 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) of newlyweds[24] Edusa (also Educa, Edula, Edulia) Fabulinus BCh Farinus BCh Fessona or Fessonia, goddess who relieved weariness.[25] Fluvionia or Fluonia BCh Forculus, protector of doors (Latin fores)[26] Fructesea, another name for Seia Ag Hostilina Ag Iana 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)[27]

Indigitamenta Limentinus, god of the limen or limes[28] Limi or Limones (plural), guardian spirits (curatores)[29] of Rome's clivi (slopes, streets)[30] Locutius BCh Lucina BCh Lucrii (plural) Manturna, a conjugal goddess who causes the couple to remain together (from the verb maneo, manere)[31] Mellona Mena BCh Messia Ag Messor Ag Mola Montinus, a god of mountains;[32] compare Septimontius Morta Mutunus Tutunus or Tutinus Nemestrinus, god of groves (nemora, singular nemus)[33] Nenia Noduterensis Ag Nodutus Ag Nona Numeria BCh Nundina BCh Obarator Ag Occator Ag Odoria Orbona BCh Ossipago BCh Panda 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

Indigitamenta 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 Strenia Subigus pater BCh Subruncinator Ag Tutanus Tutilina Ag Unxia Vagitanus BCh Vallonia Venilia Verminus Vervactor Ag Vica Pota Victa Viduus Virginiensis BCh Viriplaca

Vitumnus BCh Voleta

Indigitamenta Volumna BCh Volumnus Volupia Volutina Ag

References
[1] Michael Lipka, Roman Gods: A Conceptual Approach (Brill, 2009), pp. 6971, with reference to Arnobius, Adversus Nationes 2.73. [2] In particular, Book 14 of the non-extant Antiquitates rerum divinarum; see Lipka, Roman Gods, pp. 6970. [3] W.R. Johnson, "The Return of Tutunus", Arethusa (1992) 173179; William Warde Fowler, The Religious Experience of the Roman People (London, 1922), p. 163. [4] Fowler, Religious Experience, p. 163. [5] Georg Wissowa, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (unknown edition), vol. 13, p. 218 online. (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=069Znq8SPY0C& pg=PA218& dq=indigitation+ OR+ indigitamenta+ intitle:encyclopedia+ intitle:of+ intitle:religion+ intitle:and+ intitle:ethics& hl=en& ei=UoWaTOm4JcqdnAePg_Aa& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=1& ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage& q=indigitation OR indigitamenta intitle:encyclopedia intitle:of intitle:religion intitle:and intitle:ethics& f=false) See also Kurt Latte, Roemische Religionsgeschichte (Munich, 1960), pp. 44-45. [6] Lactantius, Div. inst. 1.6.7; Censorinus 3.2; Arnaldo Momigliano, "The Theological Efforts of the Roman Upper Classes in the First Century B.C.", Classical Philology 79 (1984), p. 210. [7] W.H. Roscher, Ausfhrliches Lexikon der griechischen und rmischen Mythologie (Leipzig: Teubner, 189094), vol. 2, pt. 1, pp. 187233. [8] Matthias Klinghardt, "Prayer Formularies for Public Recitation: Their Use and Function in Ancient Religion." Numen 46 (1999), p. 44. [9] Fowler, Religious Experience, p. 163. [10] Paulus, Festi epitome p. 101 (edition of Lindsay); see p. 84 in the 1832 Teubner edition. (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=aVhAAAAAcAAJ& pg=PA84& dq=incantamenta+ inauthor:Paulus& hl=en& ei=rR2STMXQEYKlnQe-0MHjCA& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=6& ved=0CEQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage& q=incantamenta inauthor:Paulus& f=false) [11] William Warde Fowler, The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic (London, 1908), p. 89. [12] H. Usener, Goetternamen Bonn 1896. [13] D.C. Feeney, Literature and Religion at Rome: Cultures, Contexts, and Beliefs (Cambridge University Press, 1988), p. 85. [14] Fowler, Roman Festivals, pp. 8991 (on the Robigalia); Eli Edward Burriss, "The Place of the Dog in Superstition as Revealed in Latin Literature", Classical Philology 30 (1935), pp. 3435. [15] Macrobius, Saturnalia 1.12. (http:/ / penelope. uchicago. edu/ Thayer/ L/ Roman/ Texts/ Macrobius/ Saturnalia/ 1*. html#12) [16] Fowler, Roman Festivals, p. 99. [17] Servius, note to Georgics 1.21. [18] Augustine of Hippo, De Civitate Dei 4.21, 28: "For likewise they put their case before Aescolanus, the father of Argentinus, because copper (or bronze) money entered into use first, with silver later" (nam ideo patrem Argentini Aescolanum posuerunt, quia prius aerea pecunia in usu esse coepit, post argentea). [19] Tertullian, Ad nationes 2.11. [20] Festus, De significatione verborum, entry on arculus, p. 15 in the edition of Lindsay (Arculus putabatur esse deus, qui tutelam gereret arcarum); Roscher, Ausfhrliches Lexikon, p. 193. [21] Tertullian, Ad nationes 2.15; compare Scansus, the god named ab ascensibus, from his relation to slopes. [22] Tertullian, Ad nationes 2.15. See for instance Clivus Capitolinus. [23] Name known only from Augustine, De civitate Dei 4.8. [24] Augustine, De Civitate Dei 6.9. [25] Augustine, De civitate Dei 4.23. [26] Augustine, De Civitate Dei 4.8. (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=7Tp7iwzRyDMC& pg=PA145& dq=Forculus+ roman+ god& hl=en& ei=Ofa6TPS1EI7Nswa-gfnXDQ& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=book-thumbnail& resnum=1& ved=0CC8Q6wEwAA#v=onepage& q=Forculus roman god& f=false) [27] Arnobius, Adversus Nationes, 4.9. [28] Augustine, De civitate Dei, 4.8; 6.7. [29] Arnobius 4.9. [30] Ludwig Preller, Rmische Mythologie (Berlin, 1883), vol. 2, p. 221. [31] Augustine, De Civitate Dei 6.9. [32] Arnobius 4.9. [33] Arnobius 4.7.

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Indigitamenta Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=545917954 Contributors: Cynwolfe, Korrekturen, 1 anonymous edits

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File:Bas relief from Arch of Marcus Aurelius showing sacrifice.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Bas_relief_from_Arch_of_Marcus_Aurelius_showing_sacrifice.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0 Contributors: User:MatthiasKabel

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