Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

180 AUGUSTALES. AURUJM.
Gruter (316. 2); and in this city there was a mag- would not be anxious to obtain this distinction,
nificent temple to Augustus (.eCaOreo0v, Augus- while the libertini on the contrary, who were
tale). We find mention of augustalia in numerous generally a wealthy class and were not invested
other places, as Pergamus, Nicomedia, &c. with any honour, would naturally covet it. The
AUGUSTA'LES, the name of two classes of Augustales ranked next in dignity to the decupriests, one at Rome and the other in the muni- riones; and as they were mostly men of property,
cipia, frequently mentioned in inscriptions. they came in course of time to form a middle class
I. The Augustales at Rome, properly called so- between the decuriones and plebs, like the equesdales Augustales, which is the name they always trian order at Rome. Thus, in the inscriptions of
bearin inscriptions, were an order of priests (AX gus- many municipia, we find the decuriones, Augustalitum sacesrdotiun) instituted by Tiberius to attend tales, and plebs, mentioned together as the three
to the worship of Augustus and the Julia gens. classes into which the community was divided.
They were chosen by lot from among the principal The six principal members of the college were
persons of Rome, and were twenty one in number, called Seviri, a title which seems to have been
to which were added Tiberius, Drusus, Claudius, imitated from the Seviri in the equestrian order
and Germanicus, as members of the imperial at Rome. (Egger, Evasnene Critique des Historiens
family. (Tacit. i. 54.) They were also called anciens de la Vie et du Rgne d'Auguste, Paris, 1844,
sacerdotes Augustales (Tacit. Ann. ii. 83); and Appendix II., treats of the Augustales; but see
sometimes simply Augustales. (Tacit. Hist. ii. 95.) especially A. WV. Zumpt, De Auguestalibus et Seviris
Similar priests were appointed to attend to the Azseustalibus Consmentatio Epigraephica, Berol.
worship of other emperors after their decease; and 1846.)
wAe accordingly find in inscriptions mention made AUGUSTUS, a name bestowed upon Octaof the sodales Flavii, Hadrcianales, Aeliaxi, A4nto- vianus in B. c. 27, by the senate and the Roman
nini, &c. It appears that the famines Augustales people. It was a word used in connection fwith
ought to be distinguished from the sodales Augus- religion, and designated a person as sacred and
tales. WVe find that flamines and sacerdotes were worthy of worship; hence the Greek writers transappointed, in the lifetime of Augustus, to attend to late it by SEFaTfr s. (Dion Cass. liii. 16, 18;
his worship; but we have the express statements Suet. Aug. 7; Vell. Pat. ii. 91; Flor. iv. 12;
pf Suetonius and Dion Cassius that this worship Oros. vi. 20; Censorin. 22; Ov. Fast. i. 607.) It
was confined to the provinces, and was not prac- was not a title indicative of power, but simply a
tised in Rome, or in any part of Italy, during the surname; and is hence called by Suetonius (Tib. 26)
lifetime of Augustus. (Tacit. Anin. i. 10; Suet. ome7ezn hlereditarium. It was, however, borne not
A/ug. 52; Dion Cass. li. 20.) Women even were only by Tiberius and the other emperors con-appointed priestesses of Augustus, as appears from nected with the family of Augustus, but was likean inscription in Gruter (320. 10): this practice wise adopted by all succeeding emperors, as if
probably took its origin from the appointment of descended, either by birth or adoption, from the
Livia, by a decree of the senate, to be priestess to first emperor of the Roman world (in ejus szom7en
her deceased husband. (Dion Cass. lvi. 46.) It velut quadam adoptione aut jure hereditario succeseems probable that the sodales Augustales were dere, Lamprid. Alex. Sever. 10). The name of
entrusted with the management of the worship; Augusta was frequently bestowed upon females of.but that the flamines Augustales were the persons the imperial family, the first instance of which
who actually offered the sacrifices and performed occurs in the case of Livia, who received this title
the other sacred rites. A member of the sodales upon her adoption into the Julia gens on the death
2Augustales was sometimes a flamen also (Orelli, of her husband Octavianus (Tac. Ann. i. 8); but
lascrip. 2366, 2368); and it is not improbable Augustus belonged exclusively to the reigning emd
that the flamines were appointed by the sodales. peror till towards the end of the second century
It. The Augustales in the municipia are sup- of the Christian aem, when TM. Aurelius and L.
posed by most modern writers, in consequence of the Verus both received this surname (Spartian. Ael.
statement of the scholiast on Horace (Sat. ii. 3. 281), Verus, 5, 1l. A 2t. Pla'l. 7). From this time we
to have been a class of priests selected by Augustus frequently find two or even a greater number of
from the libertini to attend to the religious rites Azgzsti; and though in that and in all similar cases
connected with the worship of the Lares, which the persons honoured with the title were regarded
that emperor was said to have put up in places as participators of the imperial power, still the one
where two or more ways met. (Orelli, Inscrip. who received the title first was looked upon as the
vol. ii. p. 197.) But A. W. Zumpt, in an excellent head of the empire. mWhen there were two A1essay on this subject, brings forvward good reasons gusti we find on coins and inscriptions A V G G,
for rejecting this opinion. [Compar. CoMPITALIA.] and when three A V G G G. From the time of
IHe thinks it much more probable that this order Probus the title became perpetuus Augut#stsus, and
of priests was instituted in the municipia in imita- from Philippus or Claiudius Gothicus semrper Aution of the Augustales at Rome, and for the same gustlss, the latter of which titles was borne by the
object, namely, to attend to the worship of Augustus. so-called Roman emperors in Germany. (Eckhel,
From the numerous inscriptions in which they are vol. viii. p. 354, &c.) [CAESAR.]
mentioned, we learn the following facts respecting AVIA'RIUM. [AGRICULTURA, p. 68, b.]
them. They formed a collegium and were ap- AULA. [Dosvus.]
pointed by the decuriones, or senate of the munli- AULAEUM. [SIPARITJM.]
cipia. They were generally libertini, which is AU'REUS. [Avnvnl]
easily accounted for by the fact, that none but the AURI'GA. [CIRcvs.]
freeborn (ingenui), could obtain admission into the AURUM (Xpvoads), gold. The remarks made
curia of the municipia; and as there seem to have under ARGENTUM apply to a great extent to gold
been many expences connected with the discharge as well as silver, and the sources of information
of the duties of the Augustales, the decuriones respecting both the precious metals are specified in