To whom were the Fetiales priests primarily linked in their duties?

The Fetiales priests were primarily linked to war declarations, reflecting their crucial role in ancient Roman religious and military practices. They were responsible for performing rituals that ensured the legitimacy and divine approval of an act of war. This included the formal announcement of war and the invocation of the gods to support the Roman cause, which was essential for maintaining morale and justifying military actions in the eyes of both the gods and the public. These priests would conduct rituals, including the throwing of a spear into enemy territory, symbolizing the onset of conflict.

While the other options also pertain to different aspects of Roman religious life—such as A, which relates to various religious rituals that could be broader in scope, C, concerning funerary practices, or D, involving celebrations and public festivals—they do not capture the specific and unique function the Fetiales served in relationship to warfare and the formalities surrounding it. Thus, the primacy of their focus on warfare distinguishes their role from other religious duties in ancient Rome.