Thus it is clear that in Egypt the priests were at once the biographers and historians.
Preceding chapters have indirectly shown the primitive connections between religion, biography, and history among the Greeks. The laudation of a god's deeds, now lyrical now epical, rhythmically uttered by his priests, involved with the sacred element both these secular elements. But a few more specific facts may be added.
"In and near the sanctuaries the most ancient traditions were preserved."
"A list was kept of the priestesses at Argos and an account of the priestly dignity also of the Kings of Sparta. . . and thus arose historical archives."And then, after the secularization of rhythmical speeches or songs, first uttered in honor of the gods, the biographico-historical character of their subject-matters is retained and developed. In hexameters, first employed by the Delphic priests, Homer, in the Iliad recites a story which, mainly historical, is in no part biographical—the wrath of Achilles being its most pronounced motive. And then in the Odyssey, we have a narrative which is almost wholly biographical. But though mainly secularized, these epics have not wholly lost the primitive sacred character; since the gods are represented as playing active parts.
As before said, Roman society, so heterogeneous in its composition, had its lines of normal evolution broken by intruding influences. But still we trace some connection between the priest and the historian. According to Duruy and others—
"The pontiffs were concerned in keeping up the memory of events, as accurately as possible. Thus the Romans had the Annals of the Pontiffs, or Annales Maximi, the Fasti Magistratuum, the Fasti Triumphales, the rolls of the censors, etc."
Further, by its associations, the body of fetiales was apparently shown to have had some sacerdotal character.
