Senses, Cognition, and Ritual Experience in the Roman World

Cambridge Core - Ancient History - Senses, Cognition, and Ritual Experience in the Roman World

Cambridge Core

#OTD, 15 May, it's the #Mercuralia, a Roman festival in honour of Mercurius in his function as the god of commerce. Merchants would sprinkle their heads, their ships and merchandise, and their businesses with water taken from the well at Porta Capena in Rome. The water was said to bring good fortune for trade. King Numa met at the same spring with his goddess girlfriend who gave him all his great ideas for early Rome, isn't that right, @phistorians?

@antiquidons @pagan #ReligioRomana #pagan

Io Saturnalia!
On 17 December, the Romans attended a public ritual and sacrifice at the Temple of Saturnus, followed by a public banquet. It was a holiday from all forms of work: Schools were closed and courts were not in session, so nobody could receive punishment and no declaration of war could be made. After the public rituals, observances continued at home.

#IoSaturnalia #ancientRome #ReligioRomana
@antiquidons @pagan

When you can't get it up, fret not! Make a votive offering to the god of your choice and let the divine work their magic.

Clay-baked male genitalia, ancient Roman votive offering, 200 BCE - 200 CE

#PhallusThursday #GreekRomanArt #RomanReligion #ReligioRomana #pagan @antiquidons @phistorians

#OTD is the #Mercuralia, a Roman festival commemorating the founding of a Temple of Mercurius in Rome "facing the Circus", as #Ovid tells us in his Fasti.
All those who make a living trading their wares offer incense to Mercurius and pray to him to swell their profits.

Happy #Mercuralia! May all your business efforts be fruitful 💙

#Mercurius #Hermes #ancientRome #ReligioRomana #mythology @antiquidons @pagan @mythology

It's the Day of Ares / Mars' Day / #Tuesday!

Happy #ValentinesDay from #Mars and #Venus in the Terme di Diocleziano! 💕
The goddess is embracing her man who is all dressed up for war. But Love is known to subdue War, but he never subdues her.
Dated to ca. 170 CE, #ancientRome.

#DayOfAres #Mythology #Ares #Aphrodite #religioRomana #Mars #Venus @antiquidons @histodons @mythology @pagan

It's the Day of Ares / Mars' Day / #Tuesday!

Ares and Aphrodite or rather Mars and Venus wall painting in the House of Meleager in #Pompeii - today at the Museum of Naples.

#DayOfAres #Mythology #Ares #Aphrodite #religioRomana #ancientRome #fresco #Mars #Venus @antiquidons @histodons @mythology @pagan

It's the Day of Helios / Sol's Day / #Sunday! ☀️

Altar dedicated to Helios-Sol and Domitian. The marble relief shows a bust of Helios-Sol with his sunray crown and snake.

#DayOfHelios #Sun #Sol #GreekRomanArt #ancientRome #religioRomana @antiquidons @archaeodons @histodons

It's the Day of Ares / Mars' Day / #Tuesday!

In the "House of the Ephebe" in #Pompeii there is an arched lararium niche embellished with white stucco on a blue background. The lararium is the place where offerings and prayers were made to the gods. This one is decorated with a large painting of the love of #Mars and #Venus.

#DayOfAres #Mythology #Ares #Aphrodite #religioRomana #ancientRome @mythology @antiquidons #GreekRomanArt @histodons #lararium

It's the Day of Ares / Mars' Day / #Tuesday!

A statue of #Mars depicted in a fresco found in the House of Venus in #Pompeii. The god is surprisingly pale, possibly meant to emphasise it being a statue along with the plinth he is standing on. In #GreekRomanArt, men were usually depicted with tan skin.

📸 Carole Raddato @followinghadrian
https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolemage/3824215212/

#DayOfAres @antiquidons @histodons #ancientRome #religioRomana #Ares

Fresco of a statue of Mars in the House of Venus, Pompeii

Flickr