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Contributed by Marcvs Moravivs Horativs Piscinvs One purpose of performing rituals in any tradition is to make ourselves receptive to the gods. In ritual, one approaches the gods; the ritual itself acting as a threshold over which we cross into a new consciousness. When seen in this way, the corollary is that ritual divorces our consciousness from the common experience of our mundane lives. In the practice of ritual certain implements are used, each tradition having its own set of ritual tools. In the practice of the Religio Romana there are also various implements necessary for ritual use. Some are special implements, others may be common articles, but these items are kept separate for ritual use only and should never be used for any other purpose. In ancient Rome the separation of ritual items from ordinary items included the use of a special vocabulary. Arnobius (24.1-6) for example mentions various offerings of breads and meats used for sacrifices in the Religio Romana that he refers to by a special vocabulary that is found nowhere else. Ritual tools also had special names. They were called by names different from ordinary names in order to separate them from common use, and they were also cared for and stored separately, in order to maintain this separation. Some Roman priests used ritual tools that were specific to their rites. Other ritual tools were used more commonly in all Roman rituals, but associated with specific priesthoods. Ritual tools of a special nature thus came to symbolize the different types of priests of the Religio Romana as insignia of office. Ritual tools that are specific to the rituals of the Religio Romana, their special names, and the priesthood that they signified are listed below. PATELLA: The patella is a shallow ritual dish or bowl used for libations (liquid offerings) in sacrifice. In domestic rites, a portion of food or wine is served to the gods on a patella from the family meal. TURIBULUM: The sacred space of a ritual is purified by fumigations of vervain and frankincense. The incense is placed in a censor called a turibulum and hot coals are then placed on top to prevent the herbs from smothering the coals. ACERRA: An acerra is a wooden box that holds incense that is to be offered in the focus (the fire atop an altar). Commonly depicted in scenes of sacrifices is a camillus, or young boy, who holds an acerra. PATERA: The patera is a shallow bowl with a raised center. Held in the palm of the hand, the thumb is placed on the raised center so that it does not profane the libation as it is poured into the focus. Most often seen in depictions of sacrifices is the libation bowl used by magistrates. It was however the special emblem of the septemviri epulonum. In appearance it is similar to the paten used today by Roman Catholic priests, except for the raised center. SALINUM: The salinum or salt cellar holds the mola salsa that once was used to sanctify a sacrificial victim, and is today used as an offering by itself. In the city of Rome public sacrifices were performed by the magistrates or, else by priests. In the field, on military campaign, it was the commanding general who performed sacrifices on behalf of the army. A Roman general never went on campaign without a patera and his salinum. CAPIS: In shape a capis is a tall vessel with wide shoulders, a narrow flat bottom, with one looping handle and a spout. An identifying emblem of an augur, it is the earthen jar in which he holds libations. An ancient capis was coated with pitch to make it waterproof. CULULLUS: The Culullus is a horn-shaped vessel like the rhython held aloft by the Penates. It holds either milk or wine. This was an emblem of the Vestales Virgines as well as of the pontifices. LEBES: This basin was the special emblem of the quindecimviri sacris faciundis. These priests were charged with the care of the Sibylline Oracles that in the Augustan period came to be kept in the Temple of Apollo. A lebes was held on a tripod (tripus) and was associated with the pythia of Delphi, thus the connection with the quindecimviri. They came in different sizes, depending on their use in a ritual. Large lebetes on tripods were used for ablution prior to performing a ritual. Small lebetes were used to catch the blood of sacrificial victims. A deep lebes, held on a tripod, was used as a brazier in lieu of an altar, and libations were poured into its fire. One particular silver lebes, after its discovery at Antioch, gained fame when it was misidentified as the Holy Grail, but has since been recognized as one of a pair of braziers used to light a Christian altar. LITUUS: The identifying emblem of an augur is his lituus. This was a straight staff that ended in a natural curl; a replica of a lituus is the crosier now used by Catholic bishops. The lituus had to be made from a branch of either ash or hazel that had no knots, and its characteristic curl had to be naturally formed. MELLARIUM: For certain rites dedicated to Liber, Ceres, or to Fauna as the Bona Dea, honey, honeyed milk or honeyed wine is carried in a honey pot called a mellarium. In the case of the rites for the Bona Dea a honey wine was brought by the Vestales Virgines in a mellarium, but the drink was referred to as milk (lac). SIMPUVIUM or SIMPULUM: This is a libation bowl, shaped like a ladle. It has a rounded cup with a tall, erect handle, slightly curved at the top. It resembles a kind of pottery form found in the assemblages of Bronze Age Italy. The simpulum was the special emblem of the pontifices. Another emblem of the pontifices was an asperser, used to purify an area by sprinkling water. Today in Catholicism there is a special handled dispenser that is used, but in Roma antiqua the branch of an herb or tree was employed. Which herb or tree might be used depended on the rite and which deity it was dedicated to, but commonly a bough of laurel was used. Care of Ritual Tools Ritual tools must be specially made, or else specially purchased, and dedicated for ritual use alone. Afterwards, the tools must never be used for any purpose other than for ritual use. As such, they should be cleansed and purified in a normal manner, such as by aspersing them with water or fumigating them with incense. Then they are presented by stating your intent to use them in the service of the gods. Afterwards, they must never be used for any purpose other than in the service of the gods. Optimally, they should be stored in wooden boxes, separated from all other implements. Likewise, cloths used to clean ritual tools should be used for no other purpose and stored separately. When worn and in need of replacement, ritual tools should likewise be disposed of in a proper manner. |
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