Sibylline Books: Ancient Prophecies Destroyed By Fire
Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Very little is known about the original Sibylline books. The original Sibylline books were closely-guarded oracular scrolls written by prophetic priestesses (the Sibylls) in the Etruscan and early Roman Era as far back as the 6th Century B.C.E. These books were destroyed, partially in a fire in 83 B.C.E., and finally burned by order of the Roman General Flavius Stilicho (365-408 C.E.).
Who was Cumaean Sibyl?
Cumaean Sibyl was a priestess residing over the Apollonian oracle at Cumae, a Greek colony located near Naples, Italy. The word sibyl comes (via Latin) from the ancient Greek word sibylla, meaning prophetess. In the ancient world there were a number of sibyls active in various locations. Sibyls would give answers whose value depended upon good questions - unlike prophets who typically answered with responses indirectly related to questions asked.
Michelangelo's rendering of the Erythraean Sibyl.
The Cumaean Sibyl became the most famous among the Romans. In ancient Greece, the Erythraean Sibyl became well-known and the Sibyl of Dodona, possibly dating to the second millennium BC according to Herodotus, favored in the east.
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus purchases the Sibylline books
According to legend, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus the legendary seventh and final king of Rome bought the books from Cumaean Sibyl.
When Cumaean Sibyl approached Lucius Tarquinius Superbus she offered him 9 scrolls, but he didn’t want to buy them because they were too expensive.
Tarquinius tried to negotiate about the price, but Sibylle refused to sell the scrolls cheaper. Instead, she tossed three of the books into the fire.
For the six remaining books she asked the same price as she had asked for the nine books.
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
Tarquinius was very displeased about this and made a remark about the scrolls and price. Sibylle responded again by tossing three of the books into the fire. At this point, Tarquinius got worried he would have to leave empty handed. He accepted and paid the price for three remaining although he could have had nine books for the same price.
Whether this story is true or not, remains unknown. It is possible Tarquinius invented this story to defend himself why he had paid too much for the three books.
Sibylline books were closely guarded and consulted at momentous crises
According to the Roman tradition, the oldest collection of Sibylline books appears to have been made about the time of Solon and Cyrus at Gergis on Mount Ida in the Troad. From Gergis the collection passed to Erythrae, where it became famous as the oracles of the Erythraean Sibyl. It would appear to have been this very collection that found its way to Cumae and from Cumae to Rome.
The Sibylline Books. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson, c 1915).
The Roman Senate kept tight control over the Sibylline Books. The Sibylline books were closely guarded and kept in a room beneath the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitol.
In times of great dangers these books were consulted by the decemviri sacris faciundis (ten-men). The decemviri sacris faciundis held office for life, and were exempt from all other public duties. They were responsible for keeping the books in safety and secrecy.
These officials, at the command of the Senate, consulted the Sibylline Books in order to discover not exact predictions of definite future events in the form of prophecy but the religious observances necessary to avert extraordinary calamities such as for example comets and earthquakes, showers of stones and plague.
19th century illustration depicting the temple above the Tiber River during the Roman Republic.
It was only the rites of expiation prescribed by the Sibylline Books, according to the interpretation of the oracle that were communicated to the public, and not the oracles themselves, which left ample opportunity for abuses.
The Sibylline books were composed in Greek hexameter and the college of curators was always assisted by two Greek interpreters.
The destruction of the Sibylline books
When the Temple of Jupiter burned in 83 BC, they were lost. The Roman Senate sent envoys in 76 BC to replace them with a collection of similar oracular sayings, in particular collected from Ilium, Erythrae, Samos, Sicily, and Africa. This new Sibylline collection was deposited in the restored temple.
See also:
Ancient Roman Government Structure And The Twelve Tables
The Egyptian Dream Book Reveals Ancient Predictions Of The Future
From the Capitol the books were later transferred by Augustus as pontifex maximus in 12 BC, to the temple of Apollo Patrous on the Palatine. They were examined and copied and remained there until about AD 405. According to the poet Rutilius Claudius Namatianus, the general Flavius Stilicho (died AD 408) burned them, as they were being used to attack his government.
Only fragments of the Sibylline books have survived.
The Sibylline Books should not be confused with the so-called Sibylline Oracles, which contained twelve books of prophecies thought to be of Judaeo-Christian origin.
Copyright © AncientPages.com & Ellen Lloyd All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com and Ellen Lloyd
Expand for referencesMore From Ancient Pages
-
Yak Milk Consumption Among Mongol Empire Elites – New Study
Archaeology | Apr 1, 2023 -
Fragment Of Unique Ancient Greek Terracotta Statue Uncovered In Underwater Diggings
Archaeology | Mar 26, 2017 -
Sensational Find: Huge Cuneiform Archive Of Mysterious Ancient Clay Tablets Discovered In Iraq
Archaeology | Oct 26, 2017 -
Balkanatolia: Existence Of A Long-Forgotten Continent Discovered
Archaeology | Mar 1, 2022 -
3,000-Year-Old Ancient Egyptian Artifact Seized By US Agents In Memphis
Archaeology | Aug 29, 2022 -
New Chemical Reactions To Generate Building Blocks Of Proteins And DNA – Discovered
DNA | Jul 29, 2022 -
Medieval Celtic Mystery Written In Konungs Skuggsja – The King’s Mirror
Featured Stories | Sep 13, 2018 -
Ancient Flying Canoes And Magic In The Pacific – Clues In The North – Part 2
Featured Stories | Feb 1, 2020 -
Superior Sword Of Goujian: Jian Weapon And Legend Of Immortal With Good Advice
Artifacts | Oct 15, 2019 -
Unexplained Teleportation Cases Of People – Ancient Times – Part 1
Featured Stories | Sep 30, 2019 -
A 1.3 kg Heavy Bronze Sword Unearthed On Funen Island, Denmark
Archaeology | Mar 16, 2021 -
Igaluk – Powerful Eskimo Moon God That Directs Natural Phenomena
Featured Stories | Feb 13, 2019 -
New Last Ice Age Findings In Palawan Cave
Archaeology | Sep 19, 2022 -
Bizarre Sound Of A Crash Remains An Unexplained Mystery
Featured Stories | Oct 22, 2020 -
Did The 8 Omens Of The Aztecs Foretell The End Of Their Civilization?
Civilizations | Jan 30, 2020 -
Atacama Desert And Its Ancient Lakes Can Rewrite South American History – Is An Ancient Lost Civilization Buried Beneath The Sand?
Civilizations | Oct 19, 2016 -
Unknown Ancient God Was Worshipped In Mesopotamia – Sacred Texts And Archaeology Reveal
Civilizations | May 9, 2018 -
5,000-Year-Old Perga City And Kommagene Civilization: Most Of Treasures Are Still Underground
Archaeology | Dec 30, 2017 -
Unusual Parcel With 500-Year-Old Horn Container Discovered In South Africa Sheds Light On Pre-Colonial Khoisan Medicines
Featured Stories | Feb 15, 2023 -
Mysterious Manuscript 512 Reveals Lost Ancient City Hidden In The Amazon Jungle
Featured Stories | Jan 28, 2018