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Arval Brethren| Body of priests in ancient Rome who offered annual sacrifices to the lares or divinities of the fields to ensure a good harvest. They formed a college of 12 priests, and their chief festival fell in May. |
| It had almost ceased to exist by the end of the Republic, but was revived by Augustus and was thereafter patronized by the emperor and leading senators. The sect is remembered for the detailed records, inscribed on stone, they left of their rituals, vows, and sacrifices. |
| The principal festival at which the Arval Brethren officiated was that of Dea Dia, an anonymous corn deity who may have been identified with Ceres. Celebrated in May, it lasted three days; on the first and third day the ceremonies took place in Rome, and on the second in a grove sacred to the goddess outside the city walls. |
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