- Epulones
In
Ancient Rome , the Epulones formed a "collegium" of seven men, and were one (the least) of the four great religious corporations ("quattuor amplissima collegia") of Roman priests, the others being "Pontifices ", "Augures", and "Quindecemviri". The "Epulones" arranged feasts and public banquets at festivals and games, duties that had originally belonged to the "Pontifices"; membership was an honor in the standardized sequence of public positions called the "cursus honorum ".Initially there were three members to the college of epulones (banqueting managers), though later their number was increased to seven.
Julius Caesar increased their number to ten, but after his death it was once again seven. Their college was by far the newest, being founded only in196 BC . It was from the beginning open toplebeian s. [ [http://ancientlibrary.com/seyffert/0224.html "Dictionary of Classical Antiquities", page 221 ] ] The necessity for such a college obviously arose as the increasingly elaborate festivals required experts to oversee their organization. [ [http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/religion.html Religion ] ]The
patera was the sacred bowl used by the "septemviri epulonum". It was a shallow bowl with a raised center, so that when held in the palm, the thumb on the raised center does not profane the libation as it is poured into the focus. It was the special emblem of the "Epulones". Thepaten used today by Roman Catholic priests, omits the raised center.References
External links
* [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Epulones.html Lacus Curtius website: Epulones] from William Smith, "A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities", John Murray, London, 1875.
* [http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/romanmagistrates.html Roman Magistrates]
* [http://www.religioromana.net/ritualtools.htm religio Romana:] Patera
* [http://ancientlibrary.com/seyffert/0224.html Epulones]
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