The dissemination of divination in roman republican times

two seem to have been used in the case of more uncommon prodigies, whereas the pontifices and
the senate itself dealt with common prodigies. 212
Decemviri The full name of the decemviri was decemviri sacris faciundis “the ten men for the
performance of sacred actions”. This is a common way of designating a group with a special
purpose. Originally there were only two. In 367 it was raised to 10. Sulla further increased the
number to fifteen, why they are sometimes called the quindecemviri (Wissowa 1912: 534). It
was one of the four major priestly colleges (Beard 1990: 44; Szemler 1972: 21). It ranked as the
third most prestigious after the pontifices and the augurs (Szemler 1972: 186-187). In order to
become a decemvir, the person had to be co-opted by members of the college (Wissowa 1912:
535). This meant that the Roman elite occupied the college.
The primary task of the decemviri was to consult the Sibylline Books (Gel.1.19.11). As we saw
above in chapter 9, the Sibylline Books were a collection of oracles, which was kept in the
temple of Apollo on the Capitol. The most important content of the books, and what we hear
about, was the expiatory rites needed in the case of a prodigy (Var.R.1.1.3). This was most often
rites, but it could be the institution of games 213 , or the import of a god. 214 The books could only
be consulted at the initiative of the senate. This happened in cases of great crisis or misfortune
for the state or in the case of prodigies (Rosenberger 1998: 51). What we know of the
interpretations of the decemviri is thus that they only focused on the ritual action necessary to
expiate the prodigy. They did not speculate in the causes or the possible outcomes.
Haruspices The haruspices are, contrary to the decemviri, not a traditional Roman priestly
college. The term is used for a wide range of religious specialists ranging all social classes
(North 1990: 56-61). Those we hear of that interpret prodigies were Etruscan experts most likely
derived from the elite (MacBain 1982: 43). Nothing is known about the organization of these
212 Concerning the general procedure used by the senate to get advice from the priestly colleges see (Szemler
1972: 34-36). From the sources we can gather that the decemviri were questioned alone 36 times and with others
15 times, the haruspices alone 23 times and with others 13 times, the pontifices alone have only been questioned
once in 213 BCE and with others 7 times (Wülker 1903: 33-37). Most often, however, we don’t hear who were
questioned.
213 As the Ludi Apolinares in 212 (Liv.25.12.11) or the Ludi Saeculares in 249 (Liv.Per 49).
214 As is the case with Asklepios because of a plague in 293 (Liv.10.47.7) and Magna Mater from Pessinus in 205
(Liv.29.10.5-6).
215