Numa Pompilius - according to legend, the second king of Ancient Rome. Ruled from 715 to 673/672 BC. e. He is credited with regulating the calendar, establishing religious cults, priestly and craft colleges.
Numa Pompilius was born on the day of the founding of Rome (April 21, 753 BC) in the family of Pomponius, a Sabine by birth. Numa was the fourth son in the family, and was brought up in strictness - his father, although he occupied a high position in the Sabine community, did not allow any luxury in his home. Numa spent his youth in the city of Evreux. He married Tatia, the daughter of King Tatius, co-ruler of Romulus. Tatsia died shortly after the wedding, at the age of 13. Heavily mourning this loss, Numa retired towards the Alban Mountains, into the Aricia Valley. There he met the nymph Egeria, who taught him lawmaking.
After the death of Romulus, the Senate, which at that time consisted of one hundred “fathers,” at first ruled without unity of command, each of the patricians ruled for 24 hours, transferring their powers to another. But then it was decided that the native Romans would choose a king from among the Sabines, so that neither one nor the other would be offended. The devout Sabine Numa Pompilius was elected senator, as it was believed that this could strengthen the alliance between the Romans and the Sabines. At first he refused the high honor, but his father and Marcius I convinced him that only his wisdom could teach the warlike people of Rome to achieve prosperity not only through war, but also through peace.
The following achievements and innovations made by Numa Pompilius should be noted:
Under him, all the lands belonging to Rome were counted, and land surveying was carried out with stone pillars.
He established craft workshops, establishing separate festivals for each of them.
Numa Pompilius was the first to establish religious cults. He introduced among the people the veneration of Terminus (the god of borders) and Fides (the god of peace and the personification of honesty in work). He introduced the position of priests to serve Jupiter, Mars and Quirin. Finally, he introduced the worship of the goddess Vesta and established the position of Vestal Virgins to serve her.
He also established the positions of fetials and pontiffs.
Banned human sacrifices and introduced bloodless ones (onions, hair, etc.)
Numa Pompilius introduced a new lunisolar calendar, each year of which consisted of 355 days. He is also credited with dividing days into ordinary days and festivals.
The second Roman king built his palace on Veli, between the Quirinal and the Palatine, which symbolized the unification of two communities: Roman and Sabine.
Numa Pompilius died of natural causes in 673 BC. e. at the age of 80, leaving, according to legend, a large written legacy.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru