College of Pontiffs

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Community · College of Pontiffs

Summary

The College of Pontiffs was a body of the ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the state religion.

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Head of the College of Pontiffs
The Pontifex Maximus served as the chief priest and the presiding officer of the College of Pontiffs, holding supreme authority over the state religion.
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Subject to the authority of the Pontifex Maximus
The College of Pontiffs, led by the Pontifex Maximus, held legal and disciplinary oversight over the Vestal Virgins, the priestesses of Vesta.
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Managed by the College of Pontiffs
The College of Pontiffs was responsible for maintaining the Fasti, the official Roman calendar that determined which days were religiously appropriate for public business.
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Religious successor to the Roman monarchy
The College of Pontiffs oversaw the religious duties of the Rex sacrorum, a position created after the abolition of the Roman monarchy to perform rituals previously reserved for the king.
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Supervised by the College of Pontiffs
The College of Pontiffs exercised administrative and disciplinary control over the various flamens, who were individual priests dedicated to specific deities.
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Collaborative religious body in the Roman state
The College of Augurs worked alongside the College of Pontiffs to ensure the state religion functioned correctly by interpreting divine will through omens.
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Expanded membership of the College of Pontiffs
This 300 BC law increased the number of pontiffs and augurs, allowing plebeians to hold these priesthoods for the first time, significantly altering the college's composition.
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Preserved by the College of Pontiffs
The College of Pontiffs acted as the guardians of the mos maiorum, the unwritten social and religious code that defined Roman tradition and behavior.
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