What was the name of the sacred shield that fell from heaven in Roman myth? It was the ancile, the divinely sent shield preserved as a safeguard of Rome.
According to Roman legend, the shield descended from heaven during the reign of Numa Pompilius, Rome’s second king. A voice reportedly declared that Rome would rule the world as long as the shield remained safe. Because losing it could endanger the state, Numa ordered eleven identical copies to be made. The original was thus hidden among convincing replicas.
The twelve shields were called ancilia and were kept in the Temple of Mars. They were guarded by the Salii, a college of twelve priests founded by Numa. During sacred processions, the Salii carried the shields, struck them with staves, danced, and sang the ritual Carmen Saliare.
The ancile is often confused with generic Latin terms such as scutum or clypeus, both words for types of shield. The Aegis belongs primarily to Greek myth and is associated with Zeus or Athena. The ancile was more than armor: it was one of Rome’s sacred pledges of continuing sovereignty.