Numa Pompilius: Rome’s Second King
In today’s post, I’ll discuss Rome’s second king, Numa Pompilius. Those of you who paid attention might say he was the third, after Romulus and Titus Tatius. At the same time, many scholars believe he was the first historical king, the previous ones being the figments of later generations’ imagination.
Personally, I believe a guy named Titus existed (see Titii Sodates), although I am not sure about his position: king, high priest, or something else.
Be that as it may, Romans counted Romulus as their first king, Titus Tatius as his uncounted co-ruler, and Numa Pompilius as the second. Let’s go with that!
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Table of Contents
Numa Pompilius: Rome’s Second King
As you may recall, since the death of his Sabine co-ruler, Romulus became the sole leader of the city bearing his name. When he eventually departed in 716 B.C., the Romans faced the task of electing a successor for the first time in their history.
Apart from lacking a precedent to guide them, the Romans still identified with their tribe and ethnic origin. The main groups vying for power were Romulus’ Latins and Tatius’ Sabines, although many Etruscan inhabitants were also present in the city,
The factions couldn’t agree on who should succeed Romulus.
For one year, they bickered, paralyzing the State and its proper functioning. Meanwhile, they elected another senator to exercise the kingship every five days. Can you imagine having a new president or prime minister every 5 days? I wonder what the shelf life of a head of lettuce was like in those days (sorry, Lizzy).
Eventually, the senators reached a compromise and decided to appoint a Sabine in his forties. That counted as old age in those days, so I assume this fact played a part in the choice. “He wouldn’t live long,” the senators must have thought, “so it is only a temporary solution to buy us time to work things out.”
Who Was Numa Pompilius?
Numa Pompilius was Titus Tatius’ son-in-law, born on the day of Rome’s legendary founding (21st April, 753 B.C.). That seems a bit of a lucky coincidence, but who knows, it may even be true.
He was a bit of a sourpuss: Numa frowned upon luxuries and lived a life of strict discipline. Still, he was heartbroken when his wife Tatia died. Grieving, he retired to the countryside, to the Sabine town of Cures circa 26 miles (42 km) north of Rome.
When the news of his appointment reached him there, Numa politely declined the kingship. After all, he was a man of peace and couldn’t rule in Romulus’s warlike fashion.
However, his father, friends, and a delegation of Roman senators convinced him to reconsider. Numa had one condition, though: the gods must be consulted first. Thus, auguries were taken, and the portens were deemed favorable. Long live the King!
The story of how Numa became king is important because it created a template for selecting future rulers.
Peacemaker
True to his peaceful character, one of Numa’s first acts was to disband the bodyguard he inherited from Romulus.
Some say the King had ulterior motives; he suspected the glorified thugs might ease him into permanent retirement should he rule against their wishes. Judging by the shenanigans of the future Praetorian Guard, Numa had a better grasp of human nature than most Roman Emperors.
Unshackled by a hawkish retinue, the new king aimed at achieving prosperity through peace. Whereas Romulus was a warrior king, Numa fostered good relations with all the neighbors.
Thus, Rome got along with both their Sabine kin from the north and the other Latin towns of Latium. Moreover, hostilities ceased between Rome and the Etruscan polities across the Tiber.
It is said that during Numa’s reign, the roads became safe as never before, and the entire region enjoyed feasts and festivals together.
In the interest of internal peace, Numa divided the land around Rome into villages and persuaded many Romans to work on it. The king was convinced that engaging people in farming would reduce poverty and crime. He also believed heavy physical activity would drain people’s energy, precluding violence. I guess he didn’t watch the 5 o’clock news segment.
Establisher of Institutions
Despite the expectations of some of the senators, Numa lived to a ripe old age—his benevolent rule extended for 43 years.
During this period, the King had enough time to establish some of the iconic institutions of Rome and, thus, erect a strong base for the fledgling civilization.
In the interest of brevity, I will focus on Numa’s more important contributions.
Religion
Perhaps it is unsurprising that Numa used religion to instill order and peace in his kingdom. Let’s not forget that most societies were ruled by might rather than law in these early times. Using religion as a tool to codify desirable conduct wasn’t an original thought, but it was effective.
Also, you must know that religion was a function of the Roman State. In other words, political figures had religious duties, and religious figures had political ones. You can think of the different senior priests as members of the Foreign Office: they acted as Rome’s ambassadors to the gods, if you will.
The Pontifex Maximus and the Flamen Quirinus
Numa established the office of Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of the Roman state religion. It was a prestigious position, and unlike other offices, it was a life-long appointment. It also came with a subsidized residence in later Republican times, so a heavily indebted Julius Caesar was more than eager to take the job some 600 years after Numa’s reign.
Furthermore, Numa is credited with creating at least one of the flamens, if not the first three.
A flamen was a Roman priest assigned to a specific god, a kind of executive assistant. The first three to be established were the flamines maiores, serving Jupiter (the King of the Gods), Mars (The God of War), and Quirinus (the Deified Romulus, Founder of Rome). Imagine being the right hand of the King of the Gods!
The Temple of Janus
Early in his reign, Numa ordered the construction of the Temple of Janus. The site was dedicated to peace and war as a metaphor for the deity’s two faces. When Rome was at war, the gates of the Temple were wide open while they stood shut in times of peace.
Due to Numa’s policies, the Temple of Janus wasn’t aired during the decades of his long reign. It must have been stuffy inside.
The Vestal Virgins
Another quintessential institution associated with Rome was the Vestal Virgins. As we saw in a previous post, the Twins’ mother was forced to become a Vestal in Alba Longa.
Numa recognized the value of the Vestals, so he managed to relocate them from Alba Longa. Apart from erecting a nice temple, he also enticed them with generous subsidies and privileges.
Basically, the Vestals tended the Sacred Fire, guarded the goddess’s storeroom, and fetched water from a sacred spring, among other duties.
It might sound silly, but Romans believed doom would befall their beloved city if the Sacred Fire went out. If your life depended on keeping a particular flame lit, you would choose the most trustworthy people to do the job, right? So did the Romans—the Vestals were among the most respected women in ancient Rome.
Later, the Vestals were also the keepers of sensitive documents, such as the wills and testaments of important individuals.
The Calendar
We have Numa to thank for the months of January and February. He created these two months when he introduced the lunar twelve-month calendar.
Before his time, the year began with March, the month of Mars, the God of War. Since Numa was a peaceful man, he preferred to start the year with civility, adding the month of Janus (i.e., January). Moreover, he followed up with February, the month of purification, named after the ritual of Februa.
Slavery
Not only was he a peaceful person, but also a kind one.
For instance, Numa Pompilius forbade fathers to sell their sons into slavery…but only if the son married according to his father’s wishes. Let’s pause for a moment for the implications to sink in.
Also, Numa allowed slaves to feast with their masters during Saturnalia. The holiday was the precursor of many of our Christmas traditions. It was held in the second half of December, an exchange of gifts took place, and the entire family feasted together (slaves included), presumably fighting over politics and relitigating old disputes.
In later times, slaves exchanged places with their masters during the feast, enjoying the good life for a day.
Collegia Opificum
For a religious man, Numa also had an eye for business. He is credited with creating one of Europe’s earliest forms of corporations.
In essence, the collegia were trade associations or guilds. Their aim was to advance the financial interests of their members.
Some scholars suggested Numa’s aim went beyond the economy. His purpose was to break up the ethnic factions of Latins and Sabines into trade-based ones. In other words, he wanted the Latin and the Sabine shoemakers to join forces due to shared professional interests instead of fighting each other along ethnic lines. Same for the potters, musicians, goldsmiths, and so on.
You have to admit, Numa Pompilius was a smart cookie.
Numa Pompilius’ Legacy
I believe it is safe to say that Numa Pompilius was one of Rome’s most consequential early rulers.
His ascension created a template for a peaceful transfer of power and consolidated the elective monarchy.
Moreover, his policies of land distribution, the creation of professional guilds, and peaceful co-existence fostered economic growth.
Last but not least, the religious institutions and the calendar he established brought order to Roman society.
In conclusion, Numa Pompilius forged the inhabitants of Rome into one nation. By the end of his reign, Romans shared the same religious values and economic interests, in addition to the language and place of residence. In a way, Rome’s second king was the true founder of Roman civilization.
