This chapter will be limited to the musicians and dancers directly involved in pro-
cessions and rituals and reflected in monuments and sources from Rome itself. Cultic
songs or music and dance as part of theatrical performances and musical contests
will not be included, even if these were part of public cult, too. The focus of this
chapter is a discussion of the forms of antique reflection on music and dance in ritual
for a better understanding of the function of these elements in the rituals described.Musicians and Dancers: Duties and
Organization in Rome
Roman religion knew not one type of cult specialist who led or carried out the
ritual actions, but a huge number of such people who were involved in the success
of the ritual. One of those was the (cult) musician whose competence in playing
his instrument was necessary for his ritual duties.
The cult musicians were organized in collegiacomparable to the priesthoods. The
oldest collegiumamong the musicians was that of the flutists, which was said to date
back to the time of the second Roman king, Numa Pompilius (traditionally dated
716 – 673 bc). This was the high age of cultic flute-playing, which was supposed to
have been adopted from the Etruscans. A common collegium of the flutists and
the lyre-players is attested for the first time in the early second centuryad, even if
the musicians were already active together before. For aeneatoresdifferent forms of
organization are known. There were military musicians, a collegiumactive in state
cult, and another playing in funeral rituals.
Whereas the organization of cult musicians in collegiacomparable to the collegia
of priests seems to suggest a high social status, this is not necessarily the case. After
all, people of different professional, religious, or social status were organized in col-
legia. For the collegiaof cult musicians, however, a generally high reputation is reported.
For instance, trumpet-players in public cult (tubicines sacrorum publicorum populi
Romani) were considered priests (sacerdotes viri speciosi) according to some sources
(Festus 482 L; Fless 1995: 85). Citizens, even knights, were members and office-
holders in this collegiumand were tasked to lustrate the trumpets at the celebration
of the Tubilustrium. Flutists were allowed to have a meal on the Capitol in Rome
and perform a procession.
The link of duties and reputation is especially well documented by a monument
of the Roman emperor cult that was excavated in 1992–3 at the foot of the Palatine
hill, toward the Colosseum (Friggeri 2001: 75–7). In a sacral area with a small, four-
pillared temple, remains of two inscriptions were discovered. One (CIL6.40334;
AE1996, 247) was found on the bronze covering of a base that once carried a statue
of the later emperor Tiberius. Because of the titles mentioned in the inscription, the
monument is dated before the adoption of Tiberius by Augustus, that is, before
ad 4. The consecration of the monument was performed by the [aeneator]es:
tubicine[s] / [liti]cines, cornicines / Romani. The same group of trumpet- and horn-
players are also found as consecrators on the second inscription (CIL6.40307; AE
1996, 248). Here also parts of a base are preserved, which shows how the aeneatores
252 Friederike Fless and Katja Moede