S alii The “leapers,” a priestly college in Rome dedicated to MARS. Founded probably by King Numa but developed under King Tullus Hostilius, the Salii were actually two groups, the Salii Palatini and the Salii Ago-nenses or collini. The former were connected to Mars, while the latter were once affiliated with Quirinus. Both, however, placed great importance in their ceremonies on the ancilia or holy shields. Although the Salii were to be found in towns throughout italia, in Rome there were 12 members, all Patricians, whose parents were both living. Their head was a magister, with a praesul (dance leader) and v ates (song leader). The normal costume was the war tunic, the tunica picta, a bronze breastplate, a peaked hat (a p e x), a military cloak (trab ea), a sword at their side, a shield (the anc il e) on the left arm and a spear in the right hand. The andle was an eight-shaped replica of the gift of Jupiter to Numa. As their name would suggest (s ali re, dance or jump), the Salii perf o rmed rituals at certa i n times of the year. In October they danced at the arm i l u s-trium ( Octob er 19), closing the campaigning season. M arch was a busy time for them. On March 11 they presided over the Equiria or horse races in honor of Mars; on the 19 was the purifying of the shields, and on the 23 came the tubilustrium or cleansing of the trumpets. The song of the Salii was called the carmen Saliare.
Salinator, Gnaeus Pedanius Fuscus (d. 136 c. e.) Grandson of Julius Servianus, great-nephew of Emperor Hadrian
With his grandfather, Salinator was a leading candidate to succeed to the throne. The aging emperor seemingly groomed Salinator for the throne, granting him special status at the court. In 136, however, Hadrian changed his mind, choosing Lucius Ceionius commodus (known as Lucius Aelius Caesar). When Servianus and his eighteen-year-old grandson became angry at this, Hadrian forced Servianus to kill himself and put to death Salinator.
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