Numa Pompilius The Ancilia And The Salii

According to legend, one divine shield fell from heaven during the reign of Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome. He ordered eleven copies made to confuse would-be thieves, since the original shield was regarded as a sacred guarantor of Rome's perpetual sovereignty. The shields were charged to the twelve Salii, or leaping priests, who annually in March made a procession around the city, dancing and singing the Carmen Saliare.