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

71fr LUPERCALIA. LUPERCI.
LIIDUS LATRUNCULO'RUM. [LATRUN- I that the Luperci were also called crepi or crepp?,
CULI.] from their striking with goatskins (a crepitu pelliLUDUS TROJAE. [CIRCUS, p. 288, a.] culsarln), but it is more probable that the name
LU'MINA. [SERVITUTES.] crepi was derived from crepa, which was the
LUPA'NAR. [CAUPONA, p. 258,b.] ancient name for goat. (Fest. s. v. Caprae.)
LUPA'TUM. [FRENUM.] The festival of the Lupercalia, though it necesLUPERCA'LIA, one of the most ancient Ro- sarily lost its original import at the time when the
man festivals, which was celebrated every year in Romans were no longer a nation of shepherds, was
honour of Lupercus, the god of fertility. All the yet always observed in commemoration of the
ceremonies with which it was held, and all we founders of the city. Antonius, in his consulship,
know of its history, shows that it was originally a was one of the Luperci, and not only ran with
shepherd-festival. (PFlt. Caes. 61.) Hence its in- them half-naked and covered with pieces of goattroduction at Rome was connected with the names skin through the city, but even addressed the
of Romulus and Remus, the kings of shepherds. people in the forum in this rude attire. (Plut. Caes.
Greek writers and their followers among the Ro- 61.) After the time of Caesar, however, the Lumans represent it as a festival of Pan, and ascribe percalia seem to have been neglected, for Augustus
its introduction to the Arcadian Evander. This is said to have restored it (Suet. Aug. 31), but
misrepresentation arose partly from the desire of he forbade youths (imberbes) to take part in the
these writers to identify the Roman divinities with runming. The festival was henceforth celebrated
those of Greece, and partly from its, rude and regularly down to the time of the emperor Anasalmost savage ceremonies, which certainly are a tasius. LupereaTia were also celebrated in other
proof that the festival must have originated in the towns of Italy and Gaul, for Luperci are mentioned
remotest antiquity. The festival was held every in inscriptions of Velitrae, Praeneste, Nemausus,
year, on the 15th of February, in the Lupercal, and other places. (Orelli, Inscr. n. 2251, &c.)
where Romulus and Remus were said to have been (Compare LTJPERCI; and Hartung, Die Relig. der
nurtured by the she-wolf; the place contained an, R;zmer, vol. ii. p. 176, &c.) [L. S.]
altar and a grove sacred to the god Lupercus. LUPERCI, were the priests of the god Luper(Aurel. Vict. de Oriq. Gent. Rom. 22; Ovid. Fhost. cus. They formed a college (sodalitas, Eratpla), the
ii. 267.) Here the Luperci assembled on the day members of which were originally youths of patriof the Lupercalia, and sacrificed to the god goats cian families, and which was said to have been inand young dogs, which animals are remarkable for stituted by Romulus and Remus. (Plut. Rom. 21.)
their strong sexual instinct, and thus were appro- The college was divided into two classes, the one
priate sacrifices to the god of fertility. (Plut. Rom. called Fabii or Fabiani, and the other Quinctilii or
21; Servius ad Aen. viii. 343.) Two youths of Quinctiliani. (Fest. s. vv. Quzinctiliani Luperci and
noble birth were then led to the Lruperci, and one cabiani.) These names, which are the same as
of the latter touched their foreheads with a sword those with which the followers of Romulus and
dipped in the blood of the victims; other Luperci Remus were designated in the early Roman leimmediately after wiped off the bloody spots gends, seem to show that the priesthood was
with wool dipped in milk. Hereupon the two originally confined to certain gentes. (Ovid. Fast.
youths were obliged to break out into a shout of ii. 378, who,. howeverT confounds the Potitii and
laughter. This ceremony was probably a sym- Pinarii with the Quinctllii and Fabii.) But if such
bolical purification of the shepherds. After the actually was the case, this limitation does not seem
sacrifice was over, the Luperci partook of a meal, to have existed for a very long time, though the
at which they were plentifully supplied with wine. two classes retained their original names, for Festus
(Val. Max. ii. 2. 9.) They then cut the skins says, that in course of time the number of Luperci
of the goats which they had sacrificed, into pieces; increased, " Quia honor:is gratia multi in Lupercis
with some of which they covered parts of their adscribebantur." What was the original number
body in imitation of the god Lupercus, who was of Luperci, and how long their office lasted, is
represented half naked and half cosvered with goat- unknown; but it is stated in inscriptions (Orelli,
skin. The other pieces of the skn!s they cut into n. 2256 and n. 4920) that a person held the office
thongs, and holding them in their h'ands they ran of Lupercus twice, and another three times, and
through the streets of the city, touching or strik- theis fact shows at least that the priests were not
ing with them all persons whom they met in their appointed for life. Julius Caesar added to the two
way, and especially women, who even used to classes of the college a third with the name of Julii
come forward voluntarily for the purpose, since or Juliani (Dion Cass. xliv. 6; Suet. Caes. 76), and
they believed that this ceremony rendered thenm made Antonius their high priest. He also assigned
fruitful, and procured them an easy delivery in to them certain reaen-aes (vectigalia), which were
childbearing. This act of rn:ning about with afterwards withdrawln from them. (Cic. Philip. iii.
thongs of goat-skin was a symbolic purification of 15, with the note of P. Manutius.) But it is unthe land, and that of touching persons a pltifi- certain whether Caesa~ assigned these revenues to
cation of men, for the words by which this act is the whole colege; or merely to the Julii. From
designated arefebrzuare and liastrare. (Ovid. Fast. this time the tivo ancient classes of the Luperci are
ii. 31; Fest. s. v. v.Febriuaris.) The goat-skin it-self sornetimnes distinguished from the new one by the
was called fbruumZZ, the festive day dies./bssata, nameofLuperci veteres. (Orellin. 2253.) Although
-the month in which it occurred Februariics, and in early times the L.uperei were taken only from
the god himself Fcbruus. noble families, their strange and indecent conduct
The act of purifying ind fertilizing, which0 aCs at th]!e Lupercalia was offensive to the more rewe have seen, was applied to women, was without fined Romans of a later age (Cic. Philip. ii. 34),
doubt originally applied to the flocks, and to the and Cicero (?pro CoGl. 11 ) characterises the college.people of the city on the Palatine. (Varro, de Linug. as a " Fera quaedam sodalitas et plane pastoricia
Lat. v. p. 60, Bip.) Festus (s. v. Creplos) says atque agrestis, quorum coitio illa silvestris ante est