Appointment of the institution of pontificate in Ancient Rome in interpretation of Titus Livius: political-legal aspect

Abstract

This article examines the passages of Titus Livius’ first book dedicated to the College of Pontiffs. The author provides arguments regarding the correlation between this fragment and more ancient narrative and documental sources dated back to pontifical weather notes and other priestly documents. Attention is focused on terminology of the ancient author applied for characteristics of legal prerogatives of pontificate, mechanisms of its cooperation with government authorities, provisions of archaic legislation on the questions of religious development of the Roman civitas. The work employs special legal and cross-disciplinary methods, which allowed carrying out an authentic reconstruction of the concepts, interpretation of the perceptions of the government, law and religion inherent to the political-legal thought of Ancient Rome. In interpretation of Titus Livius, the laws of Numa Pompilius on the priesthood manifests as sequential reforms aimed at the establishment of the institutions of administration and formation of public-legal relations in the archaic Rome. In combination with other ancient texts, the lore of Titus Livius on the appointment of pontificate can be carefully used as a starting point for retrospective research of the evolution of political-legal prerogatives of priesthood and establishment of the institutions of public law in Ancient Rome.