Political Goddess: Dea Roma

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4 Mar 2024

Political Goddess: Dea Roma (Goddess Roma)

In this article, we will discuss Dea Roma (Θεά Ρώμη), the goddess who stood alongside the depictions of divine kingship, right next to the divine kings of Rome, and crowned Augustus.
Since the deification of individuals is a sociological phenomenon, scholars specializing in sociology and social anthropology, who dedicate themselves to the study of sociology that transcends time and space, have found the practices of deifying individuals in historical times as valuable as the skull cults and ancestor cults practiced in prehistoric times, considering them sociologically significant.

The earliest examples of the deification phenomenon among humans in historical times can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia, which have a much longer history than the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. In ancient Egypt, pharaohs were not mortal but divine. Egyptian sources, especially the ancient writer Manetho, mention that the first kings of Egypt were considered gods.

The divine aspects of the birth of Egyptian kings were based on a divine foundation. They were both the son and successor of the god, as well as the god himself. While the pharaoh was alive in Egypt, he was called the "Good God," and after death, he carried the title of the "Great God." The cult of the ruler in Egypt was conducted in two ways: one related directly to the ruler himself, and the other related to the ruler's eternal soul, known as Ka.

Deification in the Greek World

The deification of individuals in the Greek world dates back to Homer. King Priam of Troy says that Hector appeared to be not the son of a mortal but the son of a god. This information is important as the first example of deification among humans in the Greek world. In the Greek world, individuals who earned divine titles were required to have performed some services for the benefit of society or gained the sympathy of the community. In other words, such honors were given to those who had performed extraordinary deeds that benefited those around them.

However, over time, it emerged that those to be deified in the Greek world were mostly statesmen. According to this notion, divine honors were to be bestowed upon those who founded or reformed the state, bringing life to it. Those who performed extraordinary deeds, as the Milesians pointed out, would be appreciated by being given the "greatest" and "most beautiful honors." Plato, in his work "Republic," expressed that the philosopher-king, by embracing "beauty" and "divinity," would become beautiful and divine himself.

As will be seen in relation to the Romans below, worship was not limited to deified individuals but also extended to abstract entities. In other words, worship was not unique to humans; abstract concepts such as Ka in Egypt, the Fravashi cult in Persia, and abstract notions like Agathos Daimon and Tyche in Greece were also considered sacred and subject to worship.
Roman Imperial Cult

With all these characteristics, the Roman Imperial Cult emerged as a continuation of the Hellenistic period cult of rulers we are trying to introduce. However, there is no need to wait for Augustus, the first emperor, to see similar practices in Rome. The so-called Hellenistic period is not just a period in which Alexander and his successors were seen on the historical stage. After defeating the Carthaginians in the West, gaining control of the Mediterranean, and taking advantage of the conflicts among the diadochi, Rome gradually became dominant in the East, where these practices were also observed.

The peoples who came under Roman rule, just as they had worshiped Hellenistic rulers once, now worshiped Roman statesmen. Thus, people showed their allegiance to the ruling power to which they belonged. Therefore, it is not surprising to establish offerings, festivals, altars, and priesthood for individuals representing Rome in this situation.

An early example we know from the East regarding the deification of Roman statesmen is Titus Flamininus, who was deified by the people of Chalcis in 191 BC for his achievements against Macedonian King Philip. According to Plutarch, the people of Chalcis dedicated a gymnasium with Heracles and a delphinion with Apollo to him, and during Plutarch's time, a priesthood that could still be seen was established for Flamininus, where he was praised as the "savior" along with Zeus and Dea Roma in the hymns they recited.

Who is Dea Roma?

The figure of Rome is a familiar one in the art and poetry of the Roman Empire. After the Christian victory, the goddess was left alone among pagan gods. In the late 4th century, the last pagan statesman Symmachus, in his speech against the removal of the Altar of Victory from the Senate, invited the goddess Roma. However, his speech was in vain, as paganism was declared illegal. Yet, a few years later, the Christian court poet Claudian was evoking the goddess Roma for the victory of Emperor Honorius in Rome. Even the new Christian capital, Constantinople, was depicted standing next to its Roman model. And today, a mosaic-decorated triumphal arch with a seated goddess Roma is still visible in the Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, dedicated to the elderly.

The origins of the goddess Roma should be sought in the Greek world. Before Cicero, Roma was not used instead of patria, res publica, or populus Romanus. The word was not common because it existed only for the city itself. That is, Rome was not used to glorify the Roman people in the 2nd century BC. The head seen on early Roman coins of the Roman period was Rhoma, and soon we will see that the goddess Roma has no connection with Rhoma. Rather, Rome was more of a product of the Greek mind, and we can examine its first appearance known in the Greek world in detail.

In 26 AD, Commune Asiae dedicated a temple to Tiberius, Livia, and the Senate. When permission was granted to build the temple, envoys from 11 cities demanded this distinction. After listening to this dispute and jealousy in the Senate, Tiberius found himself between Smyrna and Sardis. The envoys from Smyrna continued by relating many connections between their city and Rome:

"...seque primos templum urbis Romae statuisse M. Porcio consule magnis quidem iam populi Romani rebus, nondum tamen ad summum elatis, stante adhuc Punica urbe et validis per Asiam regibus."

In this passage, the envoy from Smyrna speaks magnificently. He does not flatter; he praises his city by associating it with many ties between the city and Rome. The Senate, in the face of this flattery, is impressed, appreciates the subtleties of piety, and does not turn a blind eye to its history, giving the temple to Smyrna. For more than 200 years, the Roman temple in Smyrna served its original purpose: to better showcase Rome and thus benefit Smyrna.
Historical Conditions Leading to the Establishment of the Roman Cult

What were the historical conditions that led to the establishment of this first Roman cult? By 195 BC, Smyrna was in a difficult situation. Thirty years earlier, Smyrna and a few other cities, including Lampsacus, had pledged their loyalty to King Attalus I of Pergamon. The power of Seleucus had collapsed in Anatolia, and after rebellions and wars in the east, Antiochus claimed his right over Greek cities. However, after the victory in Egypt in 197 BC, he set out towards Ephesus and demanded loyalty. Many cities surrendered sensibly, but Smyrna and Lampsacus did not surrender, following the advice of King Eumenes of Pergamon. Antiochus besieged the cities and appealed to Rome.

When the Romans proposed that the Greek cities in Anatolia should come under the domination of Seleucus as long as Antiochus withdrew from Thrace, the Romans also offered to mediate between the Greeks and Antiochus. And the war eventually took place between the Romans and Antiochus. Both Smyrna and Lampsacus were released at the Peace Conference of Apamea. Although this freedom ruling should have been more important than the establishment of the temple of Dea Roma, it was necessary to date the text to shortly after the date when Fides, the Roman Realpolitik, was more important than the temple. The young goddess witnessed Smyrna's victory and later developed elsewhere.

Why Did Smyrna Choose Dea Roma?

Why did Dea Roma and the people of Smyrna come up with this cult idea? Greek writers were explicitly trying to establish a foundational myth for the city of Rome in the 5th century BC. Since the origin of names was not surprising, they looked to Troy. Western Greeks saw Rome as one of the Etruscan cities. Its inhabitants had come from Asia Minor to Italy. Some versions trace the name of Rome back to Rhomus (described as a friend or descendant of Aeneas). However, this tradition does not take place until after Alcimus in the 4th century BC and may have been influenced by the Romulus and Remus myth established by the Romans themselves. This version tells us that Aeneas followed Odysseus to Italy with Trojan refugees, Rhome encouraged the others to burn the ships, and thus forced the settlement named after her.

Clearly, Rhome was not a goddess. No cult was established in her honor, and her role in the foundation of the city was generally indirect. Beyond the destruction of Aeneas's ships, Rhome had almost no action. She is not an impressive figure due to the prominence of myth and legend. This mortal Trojan woman Rhome had no connection with the origin of the true goddess, Dea Roma, the real god of Roman power. However, there is a significant discrepancy. Cyzicene historian Agathocles states that Rhome, the granddaughter of Aeneas, founded the temple of Fides in Palestine. Agathocles must have written the history of Cyzicus after the foundation of the first temple of Fides in Rome in 250 BC. Agathocles transferred the relationship between Rome and Fides to Rhome; the foundation of the Fides temple was so significant that the city founded later bore her name. This text largely eases the great gap between Rhome and late Rome. Rome was created to deal with the political reality of Roman power.

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