The Salii were Roman priests of Mars. They consisted of twelve aristocratic young men, dressed in ancient outfits worn by ancient warriors, outlandish even to people in the day of Cicero. These outfits consisted of an embroidered tunic, a breastplate, a short red cloak, a sword, and a very pointy helmet. They were charged with the bronze ancilia, the sacred shields that had fallen down from heaven. These shields somewhat resemble a figure-8, like Mycenaean shields. One of the shields had fallen from heaven, and the blacksmith was ordered to make 11 copies. The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system. ... Marcus Tullius Cicero (standard English pronunciation ; Classical Latin pronunciation ) (January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC) was an orator and statesman of Ancient Rome, and is generally considered the greatest Latin orator and prose stylist. ... Tupa Inca tunic The tunic was the common masculine garment of Roman civilization. ... Cuirass ( French cuirasse, Latin coriaceus, made of leather, from corium, the original breastplate being of leather), the plate armour, whether formed of a single piece of metal or other rigid material or composed of two or more pieces, which covers the front of the wearers person. ... Mycenaean can have the following meanings: coming from or belonging to the ancient town of Mycenae in Pelloponese in Greece; belonging to the culture of the Mycenaean period of the eastern Mediterranean in the late Bronze Age; the Mycenaean language, an ancient form of Greek, known from inscriptions in Linear...

They played a pivotal role in the Festival of the Salii, during which they sang the Carmen Saliare. In the Roman calendar, March was sacred to Mars. ... The Carmen Saliare is a scarcely intelligible fragment of archaic Latin, which played a part in the rituals performed by the Salii or Salian priests, the jumping priests, of ancient Rome. ...