THE CULT OF VENUS AND ROMA

Hadrian's institution of the cult of Venus and Roma in the city of Rome was a major innovation. Cults of Roma had long existed in the Greek world and more recently in the Latin west. In Rome proper, there had been a cult of the Genius of the Roman People. However, this was the first time that Roma, the personification of the city, received worship in the city itself. Venus certainly had been worshiped before in Rome, e.g., as Venus Genetrix in the Forum of Julius Caesar. However, again there was an innovation, in that the goddess was no longer associated with the current ruler or his family, as Venus Genetrix was with the Julii, but rather with Rome as a whole. The cult was meant to emphasize the enduring power of Rome and her protective divinities.

We know little about the cult at Rome, but information exists from other sites. From the Temple of Roma at Miletus, for example, comes an inscription that details the regulations for the priesthood of the goddess, the festival of the Romaia, and the regular sacrifices to be performed. These sacrifices were regularly celebrated at the turning points of civic life, such as the entry into office of new magistrates. The cult thus tied local government to Rome and honored Roman power in the cities under Roman influence.

M. Beard, J. North, and S. Price, Religions of Rome. Vol. 1: A History (Cambridge 1998) 158-160, 257-259.