Hindu texts to an author, as a derivative work they are considered less authoritative than "Sruti" in Hinduism. The Smrti literature is a vast corpus of diverse texts, and includes but is not limited to Vedāngas, the Hindu epics, the Sutras and Shastras, the texts of Hindu philosophies, the Puranas, the Kāvya or poetical literature, the "Bhasyas", and numerous "Nibandhas" (digests) covering politics, ethics, culture, arts and society. Many ancient and medieval Hindu texts were composed in Sanskrit, many others in regional Indian languages. In modern times, most ancient texts have been translated into other Indian languages and some in Western languages.
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