Influence of college of pontiffs on public life in the roman republic in VI-I centuries BC

Abstract

© Serials Publications. The relevance of the problem discussed in the paper is predetermined by the necessity to carry a systemic research on the functions performed by the College of Pontiffs (Collegium Pontificum) for profound understanding of mechanisms and principles how various spheres of public life functioned in the Roman Republic which allows us to conduct a more precise reconstruction of the events during the Republican Period. The aim of the paper is to estimate the degree of the influence of the College of Pontiffs on public life of the Roman Republic. The leading approach to the investigation is the systemic analysis of historical resources and literature which allow to conduct a deep and multifaceted research on the functions of the College of Pontiffs and to make trustworthy conclusions on the role of the College in life of Rome during the Republican Period. The main results of the investigation reside in the assessment of the role the College played in public life of Roman citizens during the Republican Period. The authors single out the spheres of life in which the pontifices participated most actively, and which, as opposed to any other religious college, they had the biggest influence on.