Bidental

Priesthoods of ancient Rome

Flamen (250-260 AD)

Major colleges Pontifices · Augures · Vestales · Flamines · Septemviri epulonum · Quindecimviri sacris faciundis

Other colleges or sodalities Fetiales · Fratres Arvales · Salii · Titii · Luperci · Sodales Augustales

Priests Pontifex Maximus · Rex Sacrorum · Flamen Dialis · Flamen Martialis · Flamen Quirinalis · Rex Nemorensis · Curio maximus

Priestesses Virgo Vestalis Maxima · Flaminica Dialis · Regina sacrorum

Related topics Religion in ancient Rome Imperial cult Glossary of ancient Roman religion Gallo-Roman religion

For the phonetics terms, see Bidental consonant.

In ancient Roman religion, the bidentales were priests who performed rituals to mark out a place that had been struck by lightning as a sacred precinct (templum). Their primary role was to sacrifice a two-year-old sheep, in Latin bidens, meaning "having teeth (dentes) on each side." Such a place was thus called a bidental. It was not permitted to be walked over, and was enclosed with a wall, or palisade, with an altar erected over it. The Puteal Scribonianum was a bidental.

Source

1.  This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. [1]