Fetials

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The fetials ( Latin fetiales ; singular fetialis ) were a priesthood in ancient Rome who were responsible for the international legal relations of Rome and their ceremonies ( ius fetiale ) , especially in early times (early and middle Roman Republic ). In the early days they also held judgeships (iudices) in matters of international law, but this function was lost to the Senate in the course of the early republic . The number of co- opted priesthoods was 20 priests. The priesthood was probably also open to plebeians . Tradition has it that the establishment of the priesthood is attributed to various Roman kings ( Numa Pompilius , Tullus Hostilius or Ancus Marcius ). The legal archaeological findings and the tradition of the insignia or tools of the fetiales ( sagmina and vasa taken from the Capitol ) indicate that the traditional ius fetiale dates back to the 6th century BC. Near.

It seems that the entire activity of the fetiales related only to contractual partners of Rome and that the core of the ius fetiale was to maintain or to cultivate and formally dissolve contractual ties between Rome and the oaths. The fetiales were supposed to prevent unjust wars against Roman allies, accept letters of satisfaction to the allies, and confirm wars. They decided on the complaints of the Roman allies against Rome and, if necessary, undertook atonements or initiated them. They judged violations of the ius legationium . They preserved the alliance commitments entered into by Rome. They judged acts of the Roman generals in breach of treaty and prompted appropriate expiatory payments (e.g. deditio noxae ).

They concluded peace treaties and special foedera using an ancient egg offering, in which a pig was slain with a silex by the pater patratus while reciting a curse . In addition, they were responsible for the bellicae ceremoniae , with which a war against Roman allies was formally opened. Titus Livius and Dionysius of Halicarnassus describe the process of such a declaration of war in detail from a common source. After repeated res repetere , the war on the fetialis was finally declared - with certain formula words being repeated. After the war decision of the Senate and the People's Assembly ( lex de bello indicendo ) , a fetialis opened the acts of war in the presence of three adult witnesses at the border to the enemy by throwing a lance ( hasta fetialis) made of cornel cherry wood over the border to the enemy state - while speaking he certain formula words. This lance throwing ceremony marked the formal opening of acts of war and was not part of the formal declaration of war, which is significant under international law. When in the 3rd century BC BC the war opponents of Rome no longer had a common border with Rome, the war opening ceremony of the throwing of the lance could therefore be relocated to the bellica columna in front of the temple of Bellona in the area of ​​the later Circus Flaminius in Rome.

In the 3rd to 1st century BC The activity of the fetiales loses its political significance. Active participation in embassies and their insignia ( sagmina , verbena and vasa) passed to the secular legati . The fetiales only come across as experts and master of ceremonies in matters of foreign policy with controversial content, although the political decisions are made by the Senate or left to it. Nevertheless, the ius fetiale retains its formative effect on the international legal views of the Romans, which can be observed in particular in the development of the conception of the bellum iustum in Marcus Tullius Cicero , Livius and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Octavian renewed the old custom by writing in the autumn of 32 BC. On the occasion of the opening of war against Cleopatra himself appeared as a fetiale. Even Marcus Aurelius initiated against 178 in the year as Fetiale Jazyges , Quaden and Roxolani directed expeditio germanica secunda one. A final mention of the fetials is found in Ammianus Marcellinus in the late 4th century.

literature

  • Andreas Zack: Studies on "Roman International Law". Declaration of war, decision of war, formation and ratification of international treaties, international friendship and hostility during the Roman Republic until the beginning of the Principate. 2nd Edition. Edition Ruprecht, Göttingen 2007.
  • John Rich: The fetiales and Roman International Relations. In: James H. Richardson, Federico Santangelo (Hrsg.): Priests and State in the Roman World (= Potsdamer Classical Studies. Volume 33). Steiner, Stuttgart 2011, pp. 187–242.
  • Giovanni Turelli: "Audi Iuppiter": il collegio dei feziali nell'esperienza giuridica romana. Giuffrè, Milan 2011.
  • Frederico Santangelo: I feziali fra rituale, diplomazia e tradizioni inventate. In: Gianpaolo Urso (Ed.): Sacerdos. Figure del sacro nella società romana (= I convegni della Fondazione Niccolò Canussio. Volume 12). Edizioni ETS, Pisa 2014, pp. 83-103.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Main sources: Titus Livius 1, 24 and 32. Dionysius of Halicarnassus , antiquated Rome. 2, 72. Varro , De lingua Latina 5, 86. Cicero , de legibus 2, 9, 21.
  2. ↑ Titus Livius describes in detail ( Ab urbe condita 1.32) the introduction of the ritual declaration of war by Ancus Marcius and depicts the priestly committee of the fetials as "taking over from the old people of the equikolians".
  3. ↑ Dionysius of Halicarnass, ant. Rom. 2.72.
  4. ↑ Livy 1:24 .
  5. ^ Livy 1:32 ; Dionysius, ant. Rome. 2, 72.
  6. ^ Servius and Scholia Danielis Comm. to Aeneid 9, 52.
  7. ^ Cassius Dio 50, 4, 4f.
  8. ↑ Cassius Dio 72,33,3 .
  9. ↑ Ammianus Marcellinus 19,2,6 .