Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

POXTIFEX.

304

POXTIFEX.

toms and usages. The details of these duties
and functions were contained in books called
libri pontificii or pontificates, commentarii
sacrorum or sacrorum pontificalium, which
they were said to have received from Xuma,
and which were sanctioned by Ancus Mar-
tius. As to the rights and duties of the
pontiffs, it must first of all be borne in mind,
that the pontiffs were not priests of any par-
ticular divinity, but a college which stood
above all other priests, and superintended
the whole external worship of the gods.
One of their principal duties was the regu-
.ation of the sacra, both publica and private,
and to watch that they were observed at the
proper times (for which purpose the pontiffs
had the whole regulation of the calendar,
see Cai.endarium), and in their proper form.
In the management of the sacra publica they
were in later times assisted in certain duties
by the Triumviri Epulones. [Ee-uloxes.]
The pontiffs convoked the assembly of the
curies (comitia calata or curiata) in cases
where priests were to be appointed, and
flamines or a rex sacrorum were to be inau-
gurated ; also when wills were to be received,
and when a detestatio sacrorum and adop-
tion by adrogatio took place. [Adoptio.]
In most cases the sentence of the pontiffs
only inflicted a fine upon the offenders ; but
the person fined had the right of appealing
to the people, who might release him from
the fine. In regard to the vestal virgins,
and the persons who committed incest with
them, the pontiffs had criminal jurisdiction,
and might pronounce sentence of death. A
man who had violated a vestal virgin was,
according to an ancient law, scourged to
death by the pontifex maximus in the comi-
tium, and it appears that originally neither
the vestal virgins nor the male offenders in
such a case had any right of appeal. In
later times we find that, even when the
pontiffs had passed sentence upon vestal
virgins, a tribune interfered, and induced
the people to appoint a quaestor for the pur-
pose of making a fresh inquiry into the case;
and it sometimes happened that after this
new trial the sentence of the pontiffs was
modified or annull d. Such cases, however,
seem to have been mere irregularities,
founded upon an abuse of the tribunitian
power. In the eaily times the pontiffs were
in the exclusive possession of the civil as
well as religious law, until the former was
made public by Cn. Flavins. The regula-
tions which served as a guide to the pontiffs
in their judicial proceedings, formed a large
collection of laws, which was called the jut
pontificium, and formed part of the Libri
Poutirieii. The meetings of the college of

pontiffs, to which in some instances the fla-
mines and the rex sacrorum were summoned,
were held in the curia regia on the Via
Sacra, to which was attached the residence
of the pontifex maximus and of the rex sa-
crorum. As the chief pontiff was obliged to
live in a domus publica, Augustus, when he
assumed this dignity, changed part of his
own house into a domus publica. All the
pontiffs were in their appearance distin-
guished by the conic cap, culled tutulus or
galerus, with an apex upon it, and the toga
praetexta. The pontifex maximus was the
president of the college, and acted in its
name, whence he alone is frequently men-
tioned in cases in which he must be considered
only as the organ of the college. He was ge-
nerally chosen from among the most distin-
guished persons, and such as had held a
curule magistracy, or were already members
of the college. Two of his especial duties
were to appoint (capere) the vestal virgins
and the flamines [Vestales ; Flamen], and
to be present at every marriage by confar-
reatio. When festive games were vowed,
or a dedication made, the chief pontiff had
to repeat over, before the persons who made
the vow or the dedication, the formula in
which it was to be performed [pracire
verba). During the period of the republic,
when the people exercised sovereign power
in every respect, we find that if the pontiff,
on constitutional or religious grounds, re-
fused to perform this solemnity, he might
be compelled by the people. The pontifex
maximus wrote down what occurred in his
year on tablets, which were hung up in his
dwelling for the information of the people,
and called Annales Maximi. A pontifex
might, like all the members of the great
priestly colleges, hold any other military,
civil, or priestly office, provided the different
offices did not interfere with one another.
Thus we find one and the same person being
pontiff, augur, and decemvir sacrorum ; in-
stances of a pontifex maximus being at the
same time consul are very numerous. But
whatever might be the civil or military office
which a pontifex maximus held beside his
pontificate, he was not allowed originally to
leave Italy. The college of pontiffs conti-
nued to exist until the overthrow of pagan-
ism. The emperors themselves were always
chief pontiffs, and as such the presidents of
the college ; hence the title of pontifex max-
imus (P. M. or POX. M.) appears on several
coins of the emperors. If there were several
emperors at a time, only one bore the title
of pontifex maximus; but in the year a. d.
238 we find that each of the two emperors
Maximus and Balbinus assumed this dignity.