Flamen DialisResponsible for cult of JupiterBecame the chief religious official if the Pontifex Maximus was out of RomeMany strange restictions on his lifestyleHad to be married (in the confarreatio ritual)He and his wife could be once-married onlyIf his wife died, he ceased to be flamenWas always to appear in his festival toga and wear a cone-shaped hat, even at home. If it fell off while he was conducting a ceremony he had to resign

Flamen Dialis- could not wear clothing the involved a knot- fire must no be taken from his hearth- no one else could ever sleep in his bed- he was not allowed to ride a horse, touch a corpse, goats, uncooked meat, beans or ivy, see an army, or swear an oath- his hair had to be cut by a free man only, never by a slave- Could spend the day outside the city, but could never spend a night away from RomeA difficult position to fillVacant between 87 and 12 BC

The augurs15 priestsInterpreted omens or signs sent by the godsBird calls, flight, feeding habits, songNatural phenomena, eg, lightningAsked to make judgments on affairs of the state and private individualsWhatever an augur should declare to be unjust, unlawful, or ill-omened, should be null and void (Cicero, On the Laws, 2.20-2.21)

The Quindecimviri15 priestsQuindecimviri sacris faciendis fifteen men conducting sacred ritesGuarded Sibylline books, consulted them and interpreted the oracles when the senate asked them to do soResponsible for the admission of new oraclesSupervised foreign cults when these reached Rome

The QuindecimviriDionysus of Halicarnassus notes that the Senate ordered the quindecimvirs to consult the Sybilline books and give advicewhen political strife gripped the city, when a great calamity had happened in war, or when a portent or prodigy had appeared that was difficult to interpret.Antiquities 4.62

The Epulonesfeast organisers10Organised public feasts at major festivals and games

Minor priesthoodsSalii danced in honour of Mars in MarchLuperci performed the rites of the LupercaliaArval Brothers secured numen for the crops by carrying out complicated ceremonies

The haruspiciesInterpreted the will of the gods from the entrails of sacrificial victims, and occasionally other omens as wellNo official limits on numbers60 by the time of AugustusA paid positionNon-official priesthoodLower-status than the other priesthoods

Temple attendantsFull-time or part-timePaidPerformed minor sacrifices, saw to the maintenance of the temple and guarded cult statues and gifts from worshippers

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