page_title: Pontifex maximus
hierarchical_section_title: Pontifex maximus
caption_attribution_description: English: Augustus as Pontifex Maximus: head covered, wearing the toga and calcei patricii (shoes reserved for Patricians), he extends his right arm to pour a libation; a cupsa (container for officiel documents) lies at his feet. Greek marble (arms and head) and Italic marble (body), Roman artwork of the late Augustan period. Français&#160;: Auguste en pontifex maximus&#160;: tête couverte, vêtu de la toge et chaussé des calcei patricii (bottes réservées aux patriciens), il avance le bras pour verser une libation&#160;; une cupsa (étui pour documents officiels) gît à ses pieds. Marbre grec (tête et bras) et italique (corps), œuvre romaine de la fin de la période augustéenne. Italiano: Augusto nelle vesti di pontifex maximus: testa curvata, vestito della toga e calzando calcei patricii (calzature riservate ai patrizi), estende il braccio destro per versare la libagione; una cupsa (contenitore per documenti ufficiali) giace ai suoi piedi. Marmo greco (testa e braccia) e italico (corpo), opera romana della fine del periodo augusteo, ultima decate del I secolo a.C.AC, rinvenuta alle pendici del colle Oppio, in via Labicana e conservata al Museo Nazionale Romano di Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Roma.
context_page_description: The pontifex maximus was the chief high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post. A distinctly religious office under the early Roman Republic, it gradually became politicized until, beginning with Augustus, it was subsumed into the Imperial office. Its last use with reference to the emperors is in inscriptions of Gratian who, however, then decided to omit the words "pontifex maximus" from his title. Although in fact the most powerful office of Roman priesthood, the pontifex maximus was officially ranked fifth in the ranking of the highest Roman priests, behind the rex sacrorum and the flamines maiores.
  The word "pontifex" and its derivative "pontiff" later became terms used for Catholic bishops, including the Bishop of Rome, and the title of "pontifex maximus" was applied within the Catholic Church to the pope as its chief bishop and appears on buildings, monuments and coins of popes of Renaissance and modern times.
context_section_description: The pontifex maximus (Latin, "greatest priest") was the chief high priest of the College of Pontiffs (Collegium Pontificum) in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post. A distinctly religious office under the early Roman Republic, it gradually became politicized until, beginning with Augustus, it was subsumed into the Imperial office. Its last use with reference to the emperors is in inscriptions of Gratian (reigned 375–383) who, however, then decided to omit the words "pontifex maximus" from his title. Although in fact the most powerful office of Roman priesthood, the pontifex maximus was officially ranked fifth in the ranking of the highest Roman priests (ordo sacerdotum), behind the rex sacrorum and the flamines maiores (Flamen Dialis, Flamen Martialis, Flamen Quirinalis).
  The word "pontifex" and its derivative "pontiff" later became terms used for Catholic bishops, including the Bishop of Rome, and the title of "pontifex maximus" was applied within the Catholic Church to the pope as its chief bishop and appears on buildings, monuments and coins of popes of Renaissance and modern times. The official list of titles of the pope given in the Annuario Pontificio includes "supreme pontiff" (in Latin, summus pontifex) as the fourth title, the first being "bishop of Rome".
caption: Augustus as Pontifex Maximus
  (Via Labicana Augustus)
exif: {"Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D70", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "DxO Optics Pro Standard MACOSX 3.55b.6377581.356110 MTF", "Image DateTime": "2006:09:05 15:55:38", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ReferenceBlackWhite": "[0, 255, 0, 255, 0, 255]", "Image DateTimeOriginal": "2006:09:05 15:55:38", "Image Tag 0x9216": "[1, 0, 0, 0]", "Image Tag 0xD000": "1", "Image ExifOffset": "370", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "8136", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4269", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/250", "EXIF FNumber": "16/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "400", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0210", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2006:09:05 15:55:38", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2006:09:05 15:55:38", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "RedGreenBlue", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "995723/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "167807/50000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "2", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "35", "EXIF SubSecTime": "80", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "80", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "80", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2000", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3008", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CVAPattern": "[0, 2, 0, 2, 2, 1, 1, 0]", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "52", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "8012"}