VICTIMARIIIN ROMAN RELIGION AND SOCIETY

Abstract

This paper brings together literary, epigraphic and iconographic evidence for the victimarii -the attendants responsible for slaughtering sacrificial animals in ancient Rome. It aims to explore the problematic status of victimarii in Roman society, and argues that the often hostile views of the aristocracy have led to the continued marginalisation of this prominent group within scholarly discussions of religion and society. It argues that when the various strands are considered together a far more positive view of victimarii within Roman society emerges, suggesting that this was in some respects one of the most respectable of professions among the slave and freedman communities.Il saggio raccoglie la tradizione letteraria, epigrafica e iconografica relativa ai victimarii -gli addetti all'uccisione degli animali sacrificali nella Roma antica. Lo studio mira a esplorare lo status problematico dei victimarii nella società romana. In particolare si sostiene come la frequente ostilità dell'aristocrazia abbia avuto come conseguenza la sostanziale marginalizzazione di questo gruppo di spicco della società romana nell'ambito del dibattito accademico sulla religione e sulla società romane. Il saggio inoltre mette in evidenza come, considerando unitariamente i vari filoni di fonti a disposizione, emerga una visione molto più positiva dei victimarii all'interno della società romana, suggerendo in questo modo come questa professione fosse per certi versi una delle più rispettabili tra le comunità degli schiavi e dei liberti.In ancient Rome the victimarii were responsible for the practical side of animal sacrifice and were a frequent feature of iconographic scenes depicting the religious procession to the altar. During religious festivals victimarii were responsible for leading and controlling the sacrificial victims, the act of slaughter itself, and the post-sacrificial dissection of animals either for the ritual meal or for the practice of extispicy, the inspection of the internal organs for the purpose of divination. As such, their presence in reliefs immediately signals the theme of sacrifice, even when the victims themselves are not in view. The safety and success of the ritual and everyone involved in it depended to a large extent on the victimarii performing their duties swiftly and effectively. Yet despite the frequency with which they appear across reports and depictions of religious processions and sacrifices, and the relative importance of their role, the victimarii typically have been relegated to the fringes of modern studies of Roman religion, animal sacrifice and visual representation. Discussion of their duties and position typically has been summative, with little attention paid to * Much of the research for this paper was carried out at the British School at Rome in 2013, thanks to a Mougins Museum Rome Award. Special thanks must go also to Mark Bradley, John Drinkwater, Will Leveritt and the anonymous readers for Papers of the British School at Rome for their invaluable suggestions and help in bringing thi...