CC 303/352: Lecture Outline, December 4-6, 2001

Rome

Final exam guidelines and practice test are now on line.

I. Why so few Roman myths?

• Romans great adapters: borrowed from others, especially Greeks
• Some peculiarities of Roman religion

1. numen: gods originally forces, not anthropomorphic
2. importance of pax deorum, ritual (sacrifice, omens), do ut des

II. Roman gods

• State gods

1. Archaic triad: Jupiter, Mars, Quirinus (king, warrior, farmer)
2. Capitoline triad (incorporated from Etruscans): Jupiter, Juno, Minerva (man, woman, skills)
3. Vesta
4. Janus

• Personal and household gods

1. Genius
2. Penates (also public: Aeneas brings from Troy)
3. Lares

• Abstractions: Fides, Virtus, Concordia, etc.

III. Roman historical myth

• Vergil's Aeneid

1. Aeneas flees Troy
2. Continually harassed by Juno
3. Wanderings (cf. Odyssey)
4. Encounter with Dido
5. Trip to Underworld
6. War in Latium against Turnus for Lavinia, the daughter of Latinus
7. Aeneas kills Turnus, who had killed his friend Pallas (cf. Iliad)

• Foundation myths (see especially, Livy, Ab urbe condita)

1. Rhea Silvia raped by Mars
2. Romulus and Remus exposed and recovered: wolf
3. Romulus and Remus found Rome (supposedly 753 BC)
4. Remus killed
5. Sabine Women

• Myths of the monarchy

1. Numa, Romulus' successor, establishes religious rites
2. Horatii and Curiatii
3. Lucretia: end of monarchy (supposedly 509 BC)

• Myths of the early Republic

1. Brutus orders execution of his sons
2. Horatius Cocles at the bridge
3. Mucius Scaevola

IV. Roman ideology as expressed in the myths

• The "big three" Roman virtues

1. pietas
2. virtus
3. fides

• other major virtues

1. pudicitia
2. constantia
3. severitas
4. clementia

• other ideas

1. libertas
2. law and order
3. patriotism
4. Rome's destiny for empire
5. the cost of empire

Review for Final exam

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