When was augustus pontifex maximus

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Through his mother, Atia Balba Caesonia, he was connected to the distinguished family of the Julii, being the great-nephew of Julius Caesar. He was widely held to have given the population peace and security following the decades of civil wars that defined the Late Republic; later emperors modeled themselves and their role within the institution on the divine Augustus.

AU aureus of Augustus. Stability is displayed in propaganda-driven artworks such as the Via Labicana Augustus where Augustus appears in his capacity as Pontifex Maximus. This statue shows Augustus with his toga pulled over his head capite velato. Another member was the rex sacrorum 'king of the sacrifices' who performed the religious acts that the king had usually done. There were three later 15 flamines, special priests for the main gods, and there were three mysterious pontifices minores.

Finally, the high priest was also responsible for the eighteen priestesses of the goddess Vesta. This may have been his most important duty, and it comes as no surprise that the residence of the pontifex maximus, the domus publica, was next to the monastery of these women.

The main task of the pontifices was to maintain the pax deorum , the 'peace with the gods'. To obtain this goal, they gave advise to the magistrates, interpreted the omens, controlled the calendar and oversaw funerals.

The pontifex maximus was responsible for a large collection of omens annales maximi ; every year, he wrote down the celestial and other signs, and added the events that had followed the omens, so that future generation would be able to better understand the divine will.

Until the Lex Ogulnia, all pontifices were patricians; this law introduced the possibility that plebeians were to be pontifex as well. The pontifex maximus was elected by the comitia tributa , an assembly of the people that was divided into voting districts. After BCE, the ordinary pontifices were also elected - until then, they had been coopted. Julius Caesar was elected pontifex maximus in 63 BCE and kept the office until his death. The house where he spent the night before he was killed, was the domus publica.