The Wolf and Romulus and Remus Mosaic, Roman Aldborough, North Yorkshire, 300-400CE, Leeds City Museum.

This panel formed the centrepiece of a large mosaic floor constructed in the Roman town of Isurium Brigantum, now Aldborough in North Yorkshire. The mosaic depicts the legend of Romulus and Remus. They were abandoned in the River Tiber but washed ashore where they were fed by a she-wolf.

roman mythology: silvanus

silvanus is a protector & god of the forest, fields, and husbandmen. he is also known as the protector of the house, herds, and farm boundaries. silvanus is said to keep the dangers of the woodlands at bay, allowing crops and flocks to flourish.

all this pyrrhus talk got my thinking about that scene in the Aeneid where Andromache meets ascanius

It's my name week! 🌻💃 ✨ April 28-May 3 the Romans celebrated the Floralia, a festival honouring Flora, the goddess of flowers and fertility 🌻 The festivities are notable for their inclusion of sex workers as festival participants.

Magna Mater - (fictional) temple of Cybele

Commission for a friend of Rome's great mother goddess and her priests

Father-daughter moment, even though it's not the right version of her father and she has no idea how old she is.

"It's just been a while since I had a daughter. What do young girls like these days?"

Rhea blinked. "I don't think I qualify as a 'young girl'."

"Really?"

"Vaguely?" Wow, she didn't know her own age?

"Eh, you're still my girl." Neptune reached over and patted her head. "No matter how old."

''La Lusiade de Louis Camoëns'', 1776  Canto 6: ’Venus appeasing Tempest’ Source

JANUS, in the tenth year of the aforementioned Ninus, went from Africa to the Celtiberians, where he set up two colonies, named Noelas and Noeglas. And in the 19th year of Ninus, Janus went to Italy. When he had found that Camesenuus (who is Ham) was corrupting the youth more than expected, for three years he bore this level-headedly. Then, assigning him a few people from the colonies, he commanded him to leave Italy, and he commanded all the corrupted colonies of Gomer to tend the highlands across the broad river Janiculum. And he gave them his daughter Crana Helerna, that is, they elected her by suffrage and raised her to be queen with a white scepter. He gave the Janigenes their surname Razenua, and taught them physics and astronomy; he wrote down divinations and rituals, in the 1948th year of the world and the 2014th year before Christ was born. Therefore they followed his teaching, the same names and divine venerations as were used in Armenia-Saga. Berossus book 5.

okay you know what? I think it's time for me to take advantage of the release of the Percy Jackson series to talk a little about the relationship between the Greek and Roman gods, because I have a feeling that we're going to have a new generation of people who are convinced that the Romans "stole" the gods of the Greeks and... um, I feel the need to talk and analyze this thing with you. Because the matter is much more complicated than you think

Like SERIOUSLY, the pjo fandom and Greco-Roman mythology enthusiasts in general need this chat.

First of all it is important to understand how the Italic populations came into contact with Greek culture, and who the first Romans were.

Southern Italy (Sicily, Calabria, Campania and Puglia) was colonized by the Greeks since the 8th century BC.

Like any colonization, the local population had to adapt to the culture, religion and language of the colonizer (in Italy there are still two dialects coming from ancient Greek. Griko in Puglia, and Grecanico in Calabria). Every part of the territory considered Magna Graecia (Megàle Hellàs) presents archaeological finds relating to the Greek colonies, and with them also temples dedicated to the gods. (So much so that in Sicily, at the beginning of spring the Antesphorie (or antephorie) were celebrated in honor of Demeter and Persephone, for example).

The entire Etruscan pantheon was strongly influenced by the Greek one. The indigenous deities were joined by the Hellenic ones, creating a new religion.

But still: who were the Romans? The legend of the foundation of Rome refers to Romulus and Remus, but from an archaeological point of view the Romans were probably the result of a mixture of Latin, Sabine (plus Samnites and Sabelli*) and Etruscan peoples. The latter influenced the initial Roman Pantheon the most. Just think of the similarities between the Etruscan goddess Menrva/Menerva and the Roman goddess Minerva.

The same applies to Maris and Mars, who among other things share holidays in March (a month dedicated to them moreover).

Unfortunately there is not much information on the Sabine and Latin ethnic group, but it is known for certain that Etruscans had contact with Magna Graecia, and the Greeks in general, so their culture was never unknown to the Romans.

So what does this tell us? That the Italic populations knew the Greek Pantheon, because they had been colonized and/or influenced by the Greeks. The first Romans can't exactly steal something that's already part of their culture.

*Samnites, Sabelli and Sabines were part of the same ethnic group, and although all three groups can generally be called "Sabines", I preferred to specify. At the same time it is not known how involved the Picenes and Irpinians were initially with the birth of Rome, so I have not mentioned them.

Minotaur 🐂

ever seen a take on ancient texts so rancid it makes you want to gouge out your eyes

Roman Genius Loci

A Roman altar dedicated to the Genius Loci, the 'Spirit of the Place: It was found in Sheep Street, Cirencester in 1880.

The Genius wears a crown and holds a cornucopia in his left hand. In his right hand he holds a patera, (a sacrificial bowl) extended over an altar.

Corinium Museum, Cirencester

roman mythology: pluto

pluto was god of the dead and lord of the underworld. a figure of enormous dread and terrible might, pluto dispensed luck and controlled the fates of all mortals. as commander of the subterranean realms, he was the master of ores, metals, and the precious stones found within them. for this reason, he was celebrated by many as the bringer of wealth. 

Dear my mother, you don't understand...

My feelings to him, the warmth of his hands.

My bones he saw this day on the hill.

So really you think, it wasn't my will?

— P. Plinius

Richard Armitage as modern! Hades

Manifesting a bountiful 2023 this Cerealia 🤞🌾🔥 Around April 19th, the seven day festival of Ceres would take place in ancient Rome. Mnay games and rituals took place during this celebration, including circus games and animal sacrifice. The Romans believed this worship would help protect their crops from disease and pests 🐀

Avernus - crater west of Naples, appears in Virgil's Aeneid as the entrance to the underworld

I made the background with liquid gold which only cost me 6 hours of my life and also the rest of my sanity. I will probably do it again.