The Salii, Salians, or Salian priests were the "leaping priests" of Mars in ancient Roman religion, supposed to have been introduced by King Numa Pompilius. They were twelve patrician youths dressed as archaic warriors with an embroidered tunic , a breastplate , a short red cloak ( paludamentum ), a sword, and a spiked headdress called an apex .

Salii, (Latin: “Dancers”), in ancient Italy, a priesthood usually associated with the worship of Mars, the god of war. Chapters of the priesthood existed in Rome and in other central Italian cities. The Salii, who were all born patricians, were usually young men with both parents living.

The Salian Franks, or Salians, sometimes referred to using the Latin word Salii, were a Frankish people who lived in what was is now the Netherlands in the fourth century.

Aug 3, 2019 · The chants and songs they sang were not idiotic, simple crowd-pleasing tunes, but verses about war, warriors, and the Roman war god, Mars. These were the Salii of Mars Gradivus, the Leaping Priests of the god of war. According to the ancient Roman scholars, the Salii were one of the oldest religious orders in Rome.

The distinguishing dress of the Salii was an embroidered tunic, a brazen breast-plate, the trabea and the priestly cap , a sword girt at the side, on the left arm the ancile or sacred shield, and in the right hand a short staff with which the shield from time to time was struck. It is significant of their function that in dress they were half ...

Nov 17, 2024 · The Salii were a group of priests in ancient Rome who were responsible for the care and worship of sacred objects associated with Mars. Their origins can be traced back to the early days of the Roman Republic, where they emerged as a vital part of the religious hierarchy.

The Salii and Saliae may have been still more widely distributed amongst the peoples of Italy. Faint echoes of the priesthood and ritual may be detected in Varro's account of the origins of the Sabine town of Cures, as reported by Dionysius of Halicarnassus. A girl of noble birth went to dance in the temple of Enyalius (Quirinus).

The Salii, or “leaping priests,” were a group of twelve patrician youths dedicated to the service of Mars, the Roman god of war. They were known for their distinctive attire, which included a tunic, breastplate, short red cloak, sword, and a spiked headdress called an apex .

Oct 26, 2012 · The Salii constitute a body (sodality) of ancient Roman priests with martial affiliations. They are perhaps best known for their ritual performances extending throughout March, the month of the war god Mars.

Apr 9, 2018 · The Salii, or “Jumpers”, are perhaps one of the more peculiar, specialized priesthoods. The Salii were supposedly created by Numa, a legendary early king of Rome (e.g. Livy 1.20), although others claim that the priesthood originated from Greece and may have been founded by Salius, an Acarnanian who had accompanied the Arcadian king Evander ...