Salii, the dancing priests of Ancient Rome
- WORDSWORTH WORDSMITHY
- Jul 26
- 4 min read
The month of March was a time where a number of interesting rituals and festivals took place. One of these was more a month long procession by the Salii. These were priests whose processions around the city was a more entertaining affair that you might expect. The Salii would pause at various points and perform a dance which involved sacred shields. How did this all come about?
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Salii in the sources.
As with many religious elements in Rome the figure credited with establishing the Salii was Numa Pompilius, Rome’s second king. The regal period, to which Numa belonged, is something to be considered as more myth than history. Two main sources, Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, covered this period albeit from several centuries later. Both were writing in the first century BC and so many centuries later.
With that said they both mention the Salii. Livy provided a short summary:
“He likewise enrolled 12 Salian priests of Mars Gradivus and granted them the distinction of an embroidered tunic over which they wore a bronze breastplate. He bade them carry the shields from heaven called ancilia and to go through the city singing hymns and performing their ritual three step war dance” Livy. 1.20
Dionysius went in a bit more detail. He added that the 12 Salii were chosen from the Patrician class, that they proceeded about the city dancing in both public and private places and he detailed what they wore. The embroidered tunic was named as a trabaea and consisted of a purple border and scarlet stripe. Pointed conical caps were worn on the head, referred to as apices. They must have been quite a sight.
Dionysius noted that the Salii took their name from the leaping they did, that three step dance Livy referred to was obviously part of a wider routine. A final point which Dionysius made was a link to Greek culture.
Salii and Greece?
Dionysius was a Greek and it’s fair to say that he was adept as locating, and supposing, Greek origins when covering Roman and pre-Roman history. However, in this instance he may have a point when he links the actions of the Salii to that of the Kouretes. These were characters from Greek mythology, rustic deities whose famous act was to help keep the infant Zeus safe from his father. They danced and beat their spears against their shields to drown out his cries whilst he was hidden in the cave on mount Ida. This act, dancing and the striking of shields was something which defined the Salii.
Possibly the most defining element of the Salii were the ancilla. These were shields, one of which fell from heaven. The story goes that Numa had copies of this shield made, some of which were held by the priests as they danced but others suspended on a rack and carried by servants.
The ancilia.
When you think about Rome you might think of the famous scutum, a rectangular shield. The description of the ancilia is anything but rectangular. They were described as lozenge shaped with the sides cut out. A better description might be something like a violin or cello or even a shield used by the ancient Greeks known as the Boeotian shield.
It might seem odd for a shield to be that shape, however, when using a spear it does have advantages. Often shields paired with spears are circular, this allows the spear to be used more easily. Consider using a spear with a large rectangular shield, the shape hinders the spear being used. The cutaways in the Boeotian shield facilitate spear thrusts and you also benefit from more coverage.
The dance of the Salii – fertility and purification?
Exactly where the Salii danced doesn’t seem to have been fixed, though the Forum would be an expected place to find them. It seems that they danced in both public and private spaces in Rome. It’s assumed that they would be hosted whilst they did so, you might imagine the competition from the upper classes to have the Salii stay overnight.
The dance itself has been discussed, it may have been a purification ritual (lustrum or lustratio) for both the shields and the city. This type of ritual often incorporated a procession as part of marking out the area to be purified. There is a tenuous link to it being a fertility ritual as well, or at least incorporating this. Mars, though a god of war, had older associations which involved the fertility of fields and the health of cattle. Cato in his work On Agriculture (dating to the mid 2nd century BC) referred to a prayer made to Mars and a separate sacrifice to Mars. Both of these were to ensure healthy crops and cattle. Dancing was also practised by the Arval Brothers, another set of priests concerned with agricultural fertility. As well as singing a hymn (the Carmen Arvale) they danced. It’s plausible that by the time of Livy and Dionysius (and Ovid who refers to this in his Fasti) that aspect wasn’t as obvious, but still an integral part of the dancing.
If you are interested in festivals in ancient Greece and Rome check out the articles on the Saturnalia, and don’t forget to check out my miniseries on Roman festivals on the Ancient History Hound podcast.
