Editing Pontifex maximus (section)

==Origins of the Regal period==
The ''[[College of Pontiffs|Collegium Pontificum]]'' (College of Pontiffs) was the most important priesthood of ancient Rome. The foundation of this sacred college and the office of ''pontifex maximus'' is attributed to the second [[king of Rome]], [[Numa Pompilius]].<ref name=Livy>[[Livy]], ''[[Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Livy)|Ab urbe condita]]'', 1:20</ref> Much of what is known about the [[Kingdom of Rome|Regal period in Roman history]] is semi-legendary or mythical. The ''[[Collegium (ancient Rome)|Collegium]]'' presumably acted as advisers to the ''[[King|rex]]'' (king) in religious matters. The ''collegium'' was headed by the ''pontifex maximus'', and all the ''pontifices'' held their office for life. But the pontifical records of early Rome were most likely destroyed when the city was sacked by the Gauls in 387&nbsp;BC, and the earliest accounts of Archaic Rome come from the literature of the [[Roman Republic|Republic]], most of it from the 1st&nbsp;century&nbsp;BC and later.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

According to the [[Augustus|Augustan]]-era [[Roman historiography|historian]] [[Livy]], [[Numa Pompilius]], a [[Sabine]], devised Rome's system of religious rites, including the manner and timing of sacrifices, the supervision of religious funds, authority over all public and private religious institutions, instruction of the populace in the celestial and funerary rites including appeasing the dead, and expiation of prodigies. Numa is said to have founded Roman religion after dedicating an altar on the [[Aventine Hill]] to [[Jupiter (mythology)#Epithets of Jupiter|Jupiter Elicius]] and consulting the gods by means of [[augur]]y.<ref name="Livy" /> Numa wrote down and sealed these religious instructions, and gave them to the first ''pontifex maximus'', [[Numa Marcius]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}