Hindu texts Prior to the start of the common era, the Hindu texts were composed orally, then memorized and transmitted orally, from one generation to next, for more than a millennia before they were written down into manuscripts. This verbal tradition of preserving and transmitting Hindu texts, from one generation to next, continued into the modern era. The Vedas are a large body of Hindu texts originating in ancient India, with its Samhita and Brahmanas complete before about 800 BCE. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit hymns, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Hindus consider
Glossary of ancient Roman religion Each flamen served as the high priest to one of the official deities of Roman religion, and led the rituals relating to that deity. The "flamines" were regarded as the most ancient among the "sacerdotes", as many of them were assigned to deities who dated back to the prehistory of Latium and whose significance had already become obscure by classical times. The archaic nature of the flamens is indicated by their presence among Latin tribes. They officiated at ceremonies with their head covered by a "velum" and always wore a "filamen", thread, in contrast to public rituals conducted by Greek