lituus
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.2|A lituus (reverse, right, over the patera) as cult instrument, in this coin celebrating the pietas of the [[Roman Emperor Herennius Etruscus.]] thumb|upright=1.2|A lituus is shown on the reverse and to the right on this ancient coin. The word lituus originally meant a curved augural staff, or a curved war-trumpet in the ancient Latin language. This Latin word continued in use through the 18th century as an alternative to the vernacular names of various musical instruments.
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Roman ritual wand
- Music instrument
- Antiquity
- Medieval period
- Modern era
- References
- Further reading
thumb|upright=1.2|A lituus (reverse, right, over the patera) as cult instrument, in this coin celebrating the pietas of the [[Roman Emperor Herennius Etruscus.]] thumb|upright=1.2|A lituus is shown on the reverse and to the right on this ancient coin. The word lituus originally meant a curved augural staff, or a curved war-trumpet in the ancient Latin language. This Latin word continued in use through the 18th century as an alternative to the vernacular names of various musical instruments.
==Roman ritual wand== The lituus was a crooked wand (similar in shape to the top part of some Western European crosiers) used as a cult instrument in ancient Roman religion by augurs to mark out a ritual space in the sky (a templum). The passage of birds through this templum indicated divine favor or disfavor for a given undertaking.