Many actions and institutions are attributed to Numa. In some of them, Plutarch thought he detected a
Laconian influence, attributing the connection to the Sabine culture of Numa, for "Numa was descended of the Sabines, who declare themselves to be a colony of the
Lacedaemonians."
Religious One of Numa's first acts was the construction of a
temple of Janus as an indicator of peace and war. The temple was constructed at the foot of the
Argiletum, a road in the city. After securing peace with Rome's neighbours, the doors of the temples were shut Numa sought to associate himself with one of the roles of
Vegoia in the religious system of the neighbouring Etruscans, by deciding to set the official boundaries of the territory of Rome, which Romulus had never wanted, presumably with the same concern of preserving peace. Recognizing the paramount importance of the
Ancile, King Numa had eleven matching shields made,) the
flamen of
Quirinus, in honour of Romulus, in addition to those of Jupiter and Mars that already existed. Numa also brought the
Vestal Virgins to Rome from
Alba Longa. Plutarch adds that they were then at the number of two, were later augmented to four by Servius Tullius, and stayed thus through the ages. Livy and Dionysius give a largely concordant picture of the vast founding work carried out by Numa concerning Roman religion and religious institutions. Livy begins with the priesthoods which Numa established. Numa created a residentiary flamen to Jupiter endowed with regal insignia, who could carry out the sacred functions of the royal office, which Numa usually discharged: Numa did so to avoid the neglect of the rites whenever the king went to war, for he saw the warlike attitude of the Romans. He also created the flamines of Mars and Quirinus, as well as the Vestal virgins and the twelfth
Salii of
Mars Gradivus. Then, he chose
Numa Marcius as pontiff. To him, he bestowed all the sacred ceremonies, his books and seals. The following words of this passage have been considered a systematic summary exposition of Roman religion: quibus hostiis, quibus diebus, ad quae templa sacra fierent atque unde in eos sumptus pecunia erogaretur. Cetera quoque omnia publica privataque sacra pontificis scitis subiecit, ut esset quo consultum plebes veniret, ne quid divini iuris negligendo patrios ritus peregrinosque adsciscendo turbaretur. Nec celestes modo caerimonias sed iusta quoque funebria placandosque manes ut idem pontificem edoceret, quaeque prodigia fulminibus a Iove quo visu missa susciperentur atque curarentur. [translated]...[showing] with what victims, upon what days, and at what temples the sacred rites were to be performed, and from what funds the money was to be taken to defray the expenses. He also placed all other religious institutions, public and private, under the control of the decrees of the pontiff, to the end that there might be some authority to whom the people should come to ask advice, to prevent any confusion in the divine worship being caused by their neglecting the ceremonies of their own country, and adopting foreign ones. He further ordained that the same pontiff should instruct the people not only in the ceremonies connected with the heavenly deities, but also in the due performance of funeral solemnities, and how to appease the shades of the dead; and what
prodigies sent by lightning or any other phenomenon were to be attended to and expiated. Livy lists the
hostiae, victims, as the first competence of the pontiffs: following this come the days, temples, money, other sacred ceremonies, funerals and prodigies. Livy continues saying Numa dedicated an altar to Jupiter Elicius as the source of religious knowledge, and consulted the god by means of auguries as to what should be expiated; he instituted a yearly festival to
Fides (Faith) and commanded the three major flamines to be carried to her temple in an arched chariot and to perform the service with their hands wrapped up to the fingers, meaning Faith had to be sacred as in men's right hand; among many other rites he instituted he dedicated places of the
Argei.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus devotes much more space to Numa's religious reforms. In his account the institution of eight priesthoods is attributed to Numa:
curiones,
flamines,
celeres, augurs, vestals,
salii, fetials and pontiffs. He says only a few words about the
curiones, who were in charge of tending the sacrifices of the
curiae; the
flamines; the
tribuni celerum, who were the bodyguard of the king but who also took part in some religious ceremonies; and the
augurs, who were in charge of official divination. Plutarch records some of these, such as sacrificing an uneven number of victims to the heavenly gods and an even number to the nether gods; the prohibition of making libations to the gods with wine made from the grapes of unpruned vines; the prohibition of sacrificing without flour; the necessity of making a complete turn on oneself while praying and worshiping the gods. The ritual of the
spolia opima is ascribed to Numa, too, by ancient sources. Finally,
Arnobius states the
indigitamenta were attributed to him. Numa mostly preferred bloodless and not costly sacrifices. Plutarch, in like manner, tells of the early religion of the Romans, that it was imageless and spiritual. He says Numa "forbade the Romans to represent the deity in the form either of man or of beast. Nor was there among them formerly any image or statue of the Divine Being; during the first one hundred and seventy years they built temples, indeed, and other sacred domes, but placed in them no figure of any kind; persuaded that it is impious to represent things Divine by what is perishable, and that we can have no conception of God but by the understanding".
Calendar By tradition, Numa
promulgated a
calendar reform, which divided the year into twelve months according to the
lunar course, but adjusted to be in accordance with the solstitial revolution. It was during this time that the months of January and February
Social Guilds Numa established the traditional
collegia (occupational guilds) of Rome: So, distinguishing the whole people by the several arts and trades, he formed the companies of musicians, goldsmiths, carpenters, dyers, shoemakers, skinners, braziers, and potters; and all other handicraftsmen he composed and reduced into a single company, appointing every one their proper courts, councils, and observances. (Plutarch)
William Blackstone says that Numa may be credited with "originally inventing" corporations: "They were introduced, as Plutarch says, by Numa; who finding, upon his accession, the city torn to pieces by the two rival factions of Sabines, and Romans, thought it a prudent and politic measure, to subdivide these two into many smaller ones, by instituting separate societies of every manual trade and profession."
Agriculture Numa was credited with dividing the immediate territory of Rome into
pagi (villages). According to Plutarch, he divided the existing land among indigent people in Rome, and persuaded them to work in agriculture, thinking it would reduce aggressivity, and eliminate poverty and consequently crime. He considered agriculture as an occupation "fostering character rather than wealth". Plutarch suggests, the forbidding by Numa of making a sacrifice without a meal and from unpruned vines was intended to make people work in agriculture.
Slavery Numa forbade fathers to sell their sons into slavery if the son had married according to the will of the father. According to Plutarch, Numa permitted slaves to feast with their masters during the
Saturnalia, for "admitting to the enjoyment of the yearly fruits of the earth those who had helped to produce them". Plutarch suggests that the timing could be in remembrance of the mythical Saturnian age, when—according to Roman belief—there was neither slave nor master, but all were regarded as kinsmen and equals. == Peacemaker ==