- flamen
-
(in ancient Rome) a priest.[1300-50; < L flamen (perh. earlier *fladmen; akin to OE blotan to sacrifice); r. ME flamin < L flamin- (s. of flamen)]
* * *
One of 15 priests in ancient Rome, each of whom was devoted to the service of a specific god.The most important were those who served Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus. Chosen from the patrician class and supervised by the pontifex maximus (chief priest), they offered daily sacrifices and led strictly regulated lives. Their wives assisted them and were also bound by ritual regulations. In imperial times a group of flamines were devoted to the worship of deified emperors.* * *
in ancient Rome, a priest devoted exclusively to the worship of one deity; the name derives from a root meaning “he who burns offerings.” Of the 15 flamines, the most important were Dialis, Martialis, and Quirinalis, who served Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus, respectively. Chosen from the patrician class and supervised by the pontifex maximus, or chief priest, the flamines had a distinctive dress, its outstanding feature being the apex, a conical cap. They offered daily sacrifices, and their lives were regulated by strict rules and taboos. The priests' wives, the flaminicae, served as their assistants and were also bound by ritual regulations. In imperial times, flamines Divorum (“priests of the Gods”) were instituted for the worship of deified emperors both in Rome and in the empire's outlying provinces, where they often served as important representatives of the central government.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
