flamenArticle Free Pass flamen, plural Flamines, in ancient
Rome, a priest devoted exclusively to the worship of one deity;
the name derives from a root meaning “he who burns offerings.”
Of the 15 flamines, the most important were Dialis, Martialis,
and Quirinalis, who served Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus,
respectively. Chosen from the patrician class and supervised by
the pontifex maximus, or chief priest, the flamines had a
distinctive dress, its outstanding feature being the apex, a
conical cap. They offered daily sacrifices, and their lives were
regulated by strict rules and taboos. The priests’ wives, the
flaminicae, served as their assistants and were also bound by
ritual regulations. In imperial times, flamines Divorum
(“priests of the Gods”) were instituted for the worship of
deified emperors both in Rome and in the empire’s outlying
provinces, where they often served as important representatives
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