The Emperor and the Virgins

EXPERIENCING THE ROMAN EMPIRE HIST 1301 | History The Emperor and the Virgins Roman religio, which is whence the term "religion" in English originates, denoted a duty to the gods. This precept dictated that Romans were required to be cognizant of issues divine and religious, particularly sacrifice, the central component of religious activity. Romans would sacrifice animals to the gods in the hopes of obtaining wisdom or good fortune. Their religion undoubtedly had private facets, but it also frequently combined politics and faith in its public rites. Additionally, and particularly so, was this relationship evident in the emperor's adoration. An emperor's divine status was exalted via a series of rituals and activities known as the imperial cult. After their deaths, emperors were frequently deified (turned into gods) by the Senate and their heirs. Apotheosis, the official process of deification, was applied to emperors who were well-remembered. Later emperors had gotten so used to the deification process that, according to legend, emperor Vespasian exclaimed, "Alas! I believe I'm turning into a deity. Priesthoods were established during this time period especially to honour an emperor who had defied them. There were already several priesthoods associated with particular gods that oversaw the city's religious activities, including the festival calendar. This array of religious offices that men may join to further their public careers was expanded to include priesthoods for the imperial cult. Romans were reluctant to alter the practice of solely deifying the dead, thus the worship of live emperors was far more confused. It appears that Julius Caesar planned to be worshipped as a deity during his lifetime, and as many succeeding emperors actively pursued deification throughout their own reigns, it's possible that they were aware of this goal. Emperors in Rome were frequently identified with the gods, although only the archetypally "corrupt" emperors, like Caligula, proclaimed themselves to be gods while they were alive. Nevertheless, a lot of concessions were made to prevent direct worship of live rulers. They included offering offerings to the emperor directly rather than to the goddess Roma, the city's divine embodiment, or linking the ruler with her. But in the provinces, heavenly honours were occasionally bestowed upon live rulers; in particular in the Greek east, people might mistake a living emperor or a member of the imperial family for a god in an attempt to win the monarch's favour. A small number of women might hold vestal virgin positions in the priesthood. The six female priesthood members were selected at a young age to serve for ten to thirty years in the Temple of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. Their main responsibility was to guard the perpetual fire, which stood for Rome's immortal existence. Because the absence of the fire indicated Vesta had left the city, it was illegal to let it burn out. The harsh penalties for violating the vow of chastity taken by Vestals highlight the symbolic significance of their virginity, which was associated with Rome's preservation. If a vestal lost her virginity, she may be burned alive or have hot metal forced down her throat as a form of punishment. Therefore, the assassination of a vestal may lead to political conflicts, and their magical virginity was credited with miracles; the myth of the vestal virgin Claudia Quinta is one example of this. The goddess Magna Mater, also known as the "Great Mother," was transported by ship from her temple in Asia Minor in the shape of a black stone by the Romans in order to gain favour during Hannibal's invasion of Italy in 204 BCE. The ship got bogged on a shoal on its arrival in Ostia, but Claudia Quinta performed a miracle manoeuvre to draw it to safety. Her acts demonstrated her virginity, even though she had been suspected of violating her chastity pledge. "She took off her sash and threw it onto the prow of the ship with a prayer that, if she were still an innocent virgin, the ship would respond to her," the Roman historian Herodian of Antioch writes. Attached to the sash, the ship followed easily enough. The holiness of the virgin and the goddess's apparition both shocked the Romans.