Sibylline Books: Ancient Rome's Prophetic Guide Through Disaster
The Sibylline Books served as a crucial resource for ancient Romans in times of crisis, aiding the city during events such as the Second Punic War, epidemics, and political strife. According to legend, the Cumaean Sibyl presented nine books to King Tarquin the Proud, who purchased three after she incinerated six. These texts were kept beneath the Temple of Jupiter and managed by a group of priests known as the quindecimviri. They were consulted during ominous events, offering guidance that included rituals and the introduction of foreign deities. Following Hannibal's triumph at Cannae in 216 BC, they suggested human sacrifice, and in 205 BC, the relocation of Cybele from Pergamon. The original texts were lost in 83 BC but were later restored. However, in AD 405, General Stilicho set fire to the books, an act perceived as a loss of Rome's divine protection prior to the Visigothic siege in AD 410.
Key facts
- The Sibylline Books were consulted by the Romans during crises to determine how to restore the favor of the gods.
- According to legend, the Cumaean Sibyl sold three books to King Tarquin the Proud after burning six.
- The books were stored in a vault beneath the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitol.
- The quindecimviri, a college of priests, were responsible for consulting the books.
- In 216 BC, after the Battle of Cannae, the books advised human sacrifice of two Gauls and two Greeks.
- In 205 BC, the books advised importing the goddess Cybele from Pergamon to Rome.
- The original books were destroyed in a fire in 83 BC, but new ones were compiled from scattered verses.
- Augustus moved the books to his Temple of Apollo and burned unauthorized prophetic texts.
- The books were consulted by emperors such as Aurelian and Julian, but their influence declined with Christianity.
- In AD 405, Stilicho publicly burned the books, and Rome was sacked by the Visigoths in AD 410.
Entities
Artists
- Nicolaes van Helt Stockade
- Filippino Lippi
- Jacob Bunel
Institutions
- British Museum
- Louvre Museum
- Naples National Archaeological Museum
- Villa Medici Collection
- Web Gallery of Art
- Wikimedia Commons
- University of California Libraries
- Palazzo Massimo
- Christ Church, Oxford
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Cumae
- Naples
- Gergis
- Mount Ida
- Troad
- Asia Minor
- Erythrae
- Delphi
- Greece
- Carthage
- Spain
- Alps
- Cannae
- Pergamon
- Tiber River
- Palatine Hill
- Epidaurus
- Sicily
- Africa
- Placentia
- Gaul
- Milvian Bridge
- Persia
- Visigoths