Origin Traditionally dated to the Roman regal period; textually attested only through later Republican and Imperial grammarians.
The Carmen Saliare is the archaic processional hymn sung by the Salii, the twelve leaping priests of Mars, during their March and October rites marking the opening and closing of the Roman campaigning season. Preserved fragments survive only through later grammarians and antiquarians, who quote it as an example of Latin so old that it was already largely unintelligible to educated Romans of the late Republic; Quintilian and Varro both remark on its obscurity. Along with the Carmen Arvale, it is counted among the oldest surviving specimens of the Latin language, valued by philologists precisely for the archaic word-forms its ritual context preserved long after they had dropped out of ordinary speech.
Facts
Origins
Origin PeriodTraditionally dated to the Roman regal period; textually attested only through later Republican and Imperial grammarians. 1 Attributed Author / CompilerTraditionally attributed to King Numa Pompilius, the legendary founder of the Salii priesthood; authorship cannot be verified. 1 Practice
Who Performs ItTrained or authorised specialists 1 Sung by the Salii, a closed priestly college, matching its Carmen Arvale sibling. Solitary or CommunalPerformed by an officiant for a recipient 1 Sung by the Salii, the twelve leaping priests of Mars, during their processional rites. Form
Form of the TextSung processional chant, performed while leaping and striking the sacred ancilia shields. 1 Connections
Addressed To
Mars, Deities Its own text: sung by "the Salii, the twelve leaping priests of Mars" during the rites marking the opening and closing of the campaigning season under his authority.
Source Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A HistoryMary Beard, John North and Simon Price
Belongs to Tradition
Source Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A HistoryMary Beard, John North and Simon Price
Originates in Language
Its own text: "Latin so old that it was already largely unintelligible to educated Romans of the late Republic".
Source Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A HistoryMary Beard, John North and Simon Price
Related To
Its own text: "Along with the Carmen Arvale, it is counted among the oldest surviving specimens of the Latin language."
Source Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A HistoryMary Beard, John North and Simon Price
Sources
1. Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A History
Mary Beard, John North and Simon Price, Cambridge University Press, 1998on the Salii and the Carmen SaliareView the Source Encyclopedia of Religion
Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005the Salii entryView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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