Editing Augur (section)

===Kingdom of Rome===
The Roman historian [[Livy]] stressed the importance of the augurs: "Who does not know that this city was founded only after taking the auspices, that everything in war and in peace, at home and abroad, was done only after taking the auspices?"<ref>Livy, VI. 41: ''auspiciis hanc urbem conditam esse, auspiciis bello ac pace domi militiaeque omnia geri, quis est qui ignoret?''</ref>

In the [[Kingdom of Rome|Regal period]], which ended 509 BC, tradition holds that there were three augurs at a time; they numbered nine by the third century BC; [[Sulla]] increased their number to fifteen. By the [[Principate]], their numbers swelled even further to an estimated 25&nbsp;members.<ref name=HoffmanLewis1955>{{cite book |author=Martha W. Hoffman Lewis |title=The Official Priests of Rome under the Julio-Claudians |place=Rome |publisher=American Academy |year=1955 |pages=9–12}}</ref>