A sibyl was said to have brought nine books (pictured here in this illustration) to Tarquin the Proud, the seventh king of Rome

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According to Greek and Roman mythology, a sibyl was one of a group of prophetic old women. A sibyl was said to have brought nine books (pictured here in this illustration) to Tarquin the Proud, the seventh king of Rome - legendary king who was said to be an Etruscan. After he is driven from power by Brutus and Collatinus, the Roman Republic begins. Legend said that the Sibyl bringing the books was the Cumaean Sibyl, from Cumae south of Rome. She said the books foretold the future and she asked a huge price. When Tarquin scorned her, she threw three into the fire. He still laughed, and she threw three more into the fire. He then paid the price. The three remaining books were known to the Romans as the Sibylline Books and housed in the temple of Jupiter and consulted by the Romans.

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Keywords: ancient, books, burns, cumae, cumaean, diviner, early, etruscan, fortunetelling, kings, legendary, proud, republic, roman, rome, seer, sibyl, soothsayer, superbus, tarquin, tarquinius