In ancient Rome, the ancilia (Latin, singular ancile) were twelve sacred shields kept in the Temple of Mars. According to legend, one divine shield fell from heaven during the reign of Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome. He ordered eleven copies made to confuse would-be thieves, since the original shield was regarded as one of the pignora imperii (pledges of rule), sacred guarantors that perpetuated Rome as a sovereign entity.
The shields are identified by their distinct 'figure of eight' shape which is said to be derived from Mycenaean art.[1] As described by Plutarch, the shape of the ancile is a standard shield, neither round or oval, which has curved indentations on both sides.[2]
The ancilia were kept by the Salii, a body of twelve priests instituted for that purpose by Numa.[3] The Salii wielded them ritually in a procession throughout March. According to Varro, the ancilia may have also made an appearance in the Armilustrium (‘Purification of the Arms’) in October.[4] The Salii were said to beat their shields with staves while performing ritual dances and singing the Carmen Salire.[5]
- ^ Howatson, M. C. HowatsonM C. (2011-01-01), Howatson, M. C. (ed.), "ancī'lia", The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780199548545.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-954854-5, retrieved 2022-11-30
- ^ Plutarch (1914). Lives, Volume I: Theseus and Romulus. Lycurgus and Numa. Solon and Publicola. Translated by Perrin, Bernadotte. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- ^ Livy, Ab urbe condita, 1:20
- ^ Varro (1938). On the Latin Language, Volume I: Books 5-7. Translated by Kent, Roland G. Harvard University Press. p. 6.22.
- ^ Bailey, Cyril; North, J. A. (2005), "Salii", The Oxford Classical Dictionary, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780198606413.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-860641-3, retrieved 2022-11-30