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"Ancilia carried by Salii. The sacred shield carried by the Salii, and made of bronze. The original ancile was found, according to tradition, in the palace of Numa; and, as no numan hand has brought it there, it was concluded that it had been sent from heaven. At the same time, the haruspices declared that the Roman state would endure so long as this shield remained in Rome. To secure its preservation in the city, Numa ordered eleven other shields, exactly like it, to be made by the armourer, Mamurius Veturius, and twelve ancilia. They were kept in the temple of that divinity, on the Palatine mount, and were taken from it only once a year, on the calends of March. The feast of the god was then observed during several daysl when the Salaii carried their shields about the city, singing songs in praise of Mars, Numa, and Mamurius Veturius, and at the same time performing a dance, which probably in some degree resembled our morris with rods, so as to keep time with their voices, and with the movements of their dance. The preceding cut shows one of these rods, as represented on the tomb of pontifex salius, or chief of the Salii" — Smith, 1873

Ancile

"Ancilia carried by Salii. The sacred shield carried by the Salii, and made of bronze. The original…

"According to the ancient authorities, it was made of bronze, and its form was oval, but with the two sides receding inward with an even curvature, and so as to make it broader at the ends than in the middle. The original ancile was said to have fallen from the skies in the time of Numa. To secure its preservation, Numa ordered eleven other shields to be made exactly like it. These twelve <em>ancilia</em> were kept in the temple of Mars Gradivus, and were taken from it only once a year, on the kalends of March. The feast of the god was then observed during several days; when the Salii, or priests of Mars, twelve in number, carried the sacred shields about the city, singing songs in praise of Mars, Numa, and Mamurius Veturius, who made the eleven. They at the same time performed a dance, in which they struck the shield with rods, so as to keep time with their voices and with the movements of the dance." &mdash; Anthon, 1891

Ancilia

"According to the ancient authorities, it was made of bronze, and its form was oval, but with the two…