On This Day In Roman History, March 6
Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus obtains the title of Pontifex Maximus sometime after the death of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus on March 6, 13 BCE. Lepidus was the last Pontifex Maximus to serve under the Roman Republic and once he had fallen out of favor after Augustus' consolidation of power, the transfer of offices was probably easy for the new Principes to acquire. From this point on, every Roman Emperor would maintain the religious office for themselves, as it slowly changed from its historically deeper religious responsibilities to just the sacral aspect of Imperial religious duties. Augustus even appointed a promagister to perform the duties on behalf of the Pontifex Maximus when the Emperor was away or busy. Augustus would hold this religious office until his death in 14 CE.
Did you know?
The last Emperor to use the title was Gratian, who in 382 CE renounced his title of Pontifex Maximus and also removed the Altar of Victory from the Forum. The title is found in later historical contexts, notably during the Renaissance of the 15th century. During this time, fascination with ancient Rome was spurred and the title of Pontifex Maximus became a regular title to honor the Popes. The title can even be found as recently as December 2012, where Pope Benedict XVI registered on Twitter with the handle "@pontifex". A trending series of questions prompted under the hashtag "#askpontifex" spurred users to inquire on the etiological meaning of the term. The Twitter handle is still in use today and is maintained by his successor, Pope Francis.
Pictured: Augustus as Pontifex Maximus: head covered, wearing the toga and calcei patricii (shoes reserved for Patricians), he extends his right arm to pour a libation; a cupsa (container for officiel documents) lies at his feet. Greek marble (arms and head) and Italic marble (body), Roman artwork of the late Augustan period. Circa 90-100 CE. Made of Greek and Italic marble, found within the National Museum of Rome. Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen, Via Wikimedia Commons.
The main duties of the Pontifex are "pax deorum" or "peace with the gods". I have selected today's quote from Wikipedia, and it list the various responsibilities of the office.
1. The regulation of all expiatory ceremonials needed as a result of pestilence, lightning, etc.
2. The consecration of all temples and other sacred places and objects dedicated to the gods.
3. The regulation of the calendar; both astronomically and in detailed application to the public life of the state.
4. The administration of the law relating to burials and burying-places, and the worship of the Manes or dead ancestors.
5. The superintendence of all marriages by conferratio, i.e. originally of all legal patrician marriages.
6. The administration of the law of adoption and of testamentary succession.
7. The regulation of the public morals, and fining and punishing offending parties.
Opinion
Welcome to my daily opinion! I wonder if I will ever be able to talk about Twitter again during Roman history discussions. I hope the Popes keep this Twitter handle forever! It is very easy to tell what broad stage Rome was historically in simply by viewing who was the Pontifex Maximus and what their duties were. Even by the time of Augustus, his responsibilities were becoming a bit more trivial and ceremonial rather than crucially followed and respected like it was in the earlier Republic. With the Christian transformation happening in the 300's, the removal of the title tells a lot about the shifting state-religion. It is my personal opinion that Rome fell in 382 with the removal of the Altar of Victory from the Senate house. This of course does not mark any real end, but for me it is a "breaking point" that allows me to view the more classical Republic, early, and late Empire in a cleaner way. The tittle of Pontifex Maximus can be used in the same way and help us understand how times were changing for our favorite city, Rome.
Sources
Chisholm, K., & Ferguson, J. (1981). Rome: the Augustan age: a source book. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
Raaflaub, K. A., Toher, M., & Bowersock, G. W. (1993). Between republic and empire: interpretations of Augustus and his principate. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Rüpke, J., & Richardson, D. M. (2014). From Jupiter to Christ: on the history of religion in the Roman imperial period. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Further Reading:
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