Gods of Rome and Politics


The Gods of Rome and Politics were entwined from the very beginning. The historian Polibius noted how Religion was a specially cohesive element for Roman culture. By various means it was also a way to sanction the personal authority of many Roman leaders: Romulus was son of a Vestal Virgin and the god Mars; his successor King Numa had a private entente with the goddess-nymph Egeria. Julius Caesar was deified after his assassination, Augustus proclaimed himself Pontifex Maximus, Nero a living divinity. The list goes on… What were the forces at work during more than 1500 years of Roman civilisation?
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The Gods of Rome and Politics were always linked throughout 1500 years of history; from the earliest days of the city-state through to the end of the Empire. Whilst the political system was not always democratic, rulers were heavily dependent on winning support across Roman society, both Patricians and Plebeians.
Religion and connections with divine forces was a key lever in winning favour:
This mechanism manifested itself on many occasions. For example:
An interesting example of the involvement of the Gods of Rome and politics arose after the death of Julius Caesar: There was a struggle for supreme power between Octavian (Augustus) and Marc Anthony:
Marc Anthony at first aligned himself and actually took on a vague visual semblance to Hercules from whom his family was said to descend. Following his increasingly passionate affair with Cleopatra and Egyptian culture, Marc Anthony realigned his public image with that of the festive, possibly chaotic god Dionysus/Bacchus.
His rival Octavian chose to align his public image with the direct opposite divinity: Apollo, god of order. After the struggle Augustus realigned his divine politics with Mars.
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"Ancient Rome" was written by Giovanni Milani-Santarpia for www.mariamilani.com - Ancient Rome History
Designed by VSdesign Copyright © Maria Milani 2017