What is Sibylline Books?
{{Orphan|date=May 2009}} The '''''Sibylline Books''''' were a collection of [[prophecy|prophecies]] in [[rhyme]] written in [[Greek language|Greek]]. The [[legend]]ary king of [[Rome]], [[Tarquinius Superbus]] bought them from a [[Sibyl]] (a kind of [[prophet]]ess), and the prophecies used to be consulted in times when great danger happened in the history of the [[Roman Empire]]. == History == The books were also known to the Greeks. They were kept in the Temple of [[Apollo]] at Gergis on Mount Ida (near [[Troy]] in [[Asia Minor]]) in the 7th century BC, and said to be written by the Hellespontine Sibyl. From there, it passed to Erythrae (in eastern Asia Minor) and was called the work of the Erythraean Sibyl. It seems that this collection travelled from there to Cumae, [[Italy]] and from there to Rome. [[File:Comic History of Rome p 035 Tarquinius Superbus has the Sibylline Books valued.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarquin buys the Sibylline Books, in ''Comic History of Rome'' (1850s book)]] According to [[Virgil]] in the [[Aeneid]], [[Aeneas]] had consulted the Cumaean Sibyl before he travelled to the lower world. The story of how king Tarquinius bought them from the Cumaean Sibyl was a famous legend. She offered to sell Tarquin a collection of nine books of prophecy, but he refused the price, so she burnt three. After that she offered to sell the six remaining books for the same price. He refused again and she burnt another three. Finally he bought these three remaining books for this price so they would not be destroyed, and put them in the temple of [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] in Rome. The books were given to the trust of two Roman [[patrician]]s (nobles). Beginning in 367 BC, ten keepers - five from the patricians and five from the common citizens - were appointed for them. After this (possibly the time of [[Sulla]], 88-78 BC), the number of keepers was increased to fifteen. The job of these keepers was to consult the books on what was the right action or ceremony to escape from threats. Even so, they w