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XXI
Sacrificia. Sacrifices.-- To make these constituted a principal part of the worship which the heathens paid to their fabled deities. In this act the ceremonies performed had relation to the individuals who sacrificed, the animals to be immolated, and the sacrifices themselves. With reference to the sacrificers, they were, in the first place, required to be pure and chaste, and without spot or blemish ; secondly, to wash themselves, especially their hands, for which purpose near the temples there were vases, called Fanissae, or Futilia. The sacrificer was clothed in white, and wore a crown formed of the leaves of the tree sacred to the god to whom he made the sacrifice. When the sacrifice was votive, or promised by a vow, the priest performed it with dishevelled hair, with robe unloosed, with naked feet, and the ceremony always began with pledges and prayers. The animals intended to be offered up were called Victimae or Hostiae.-- At the commencement of the sacrificial rites a herald proclaimed silence, the profane were driven away, and the priests threw upon the victim a sort of paste made of wheaten flour and of salt ; this was termed immolatio, or the offering. He afterwards lightly tasted of wine, and gave it to others present, for them in like manner to taste, pouring the remainder between the horns of the victim. This was called Libatio, or the drink offering. After the libations, the fire was lighted, and, as soon as incense had been burnt, certain menial attendants, named Popae, naked to the middle, led up the victim before the altar ; another of the priest's servants, named Cultrarius, struck it with an axe, and instantly cut its throat. The blood was received into goblets, or broad circular plates, called paterae, and poured over the altar. The slain victim was then laid on the sacred table, Anclabris, and there it was skinned and cut into pieces. Sometimes it was burnt whole, but more frequently the sacrificers and their friends shared it with the gods, whence it often happened that many persons performed this religious solemnity solely from gluttony. The ceremony being finished, the sacrificers washed their hands, said some prayers, and, having made fresh libations, were dismissed in the customary form. If the sacrifice was in the name of the public, it was succeeded by a public feast, called Epulae sacrificales, but if it was a private act of worship the feasting was also in private, and the parties eat of that portion of the victims shared with the gods.-- Allusion having just been made to public, in contradistinction to private, sacrifices, it should be mentioned that the Romans had, in effect, three sorts of sacrifices-- viz, public, private or domestic, and foreign. The first of these was conducted at the expense of the state ; the second was performed by each family, and at the expense of the particular family on whose account the sacrifice was undertaken, and they were called Gentilitia ; the third class was celebrated on occasions when the tutelary gods of conquered citeies and provinces, together with their mysteries or ceremonies, were transported to Rome.-- The sacrifices themselves differed from each other according to the diversity of gods adored by the ancients. There were sacrificial rites peculiar to the celestial deities, others for the infernal gods, others again for marine deities, for those of the air, and for those of the earth. So there was, moreover, as already observed, a difference both in the victim and in the manner of sacrificing it. In the public sacrfices, there were some called Stata, fixed and solemn ones, which were reckoned as feast days, marked in the Roman calender ; others extraordinary, named Indicta, because they were ?????ed for some extraordinary and important reason ; others again depended on chance ; such were those of the Expiationes, or atonement ; the Denicales and Novendiales feriae, viz., ten or nine days together kept holy, for the expiation of some awful prodigy or calamitous event. Sacrificial preperations are minutely set forth on Roman coins, revealing the clearest represen- tations of sacred vestments and instruments. Thus we see the pontifical mitre, or albogalerus, with its infulae or labels hanging on each side. The peculiar form of the apex or top of this cap, said to be the sign of the flamen martialis, is also learnt from medals. Then there is the whole apparatus of sacrificial weapons spread before us through the same ancient medium-- viz., secespita, a species of knife ; securis, the axe ; praefericulum, the vase ; urceolus, the small water pitcher ; patera, the broad dish ; simpulum, a ladle, or cup with long handle ; and capeduncula, a little pitcher ; all suited to hold wine or blood ; acerra, or turibulum, the censer ; also altars and tripods in great variety. on coins of M. Antony the lituus, or augural staff, is frequently seen with the praefericulum.-- The aspergillum, or sprinkler, as well in its ordinary form (see the word) as in that of the lustral branch, which the censors used in their office of purification may also be seen on coins of Augustus.-- Nor are the instruments solely, but all the "pomp and circumstances" of the sacrifice are offered to our view, on coins of the Imperial series, as in the PIETAS of Caligula, the VOTA PVBLICA of Commodus, &c. The sacrificer dressed in the toga and veiled ; the doomed and decorated ox held bound by the victimarius, and standing under the uplifted axe of the popa ; the sacerdos, with head veiled, pouring from a patera libations on the altar ; lastly, the augural crows, together with the tibicen, or flute player, the citharoedus, the harper, and other assistants at a pagan sacrifice, are clearly and graphically displayed on these medallic monuments of Roman antiquity. View whole page from the Dictionary Of Roman Coins |