The Shrine of Venus Cloacina (''Sacellum Cloacinae'' or ''Sacrum Cloacina'') — the "Shrine of Venus of the Sewer" — was a small sanctuary on the Roman Forum, honoring the divinity of the ''

Cloaca Maxima The Cloaca Maxima ( lat, Cloāca Maxima, lit. ''Greatest Sewer'') was one of the world's earliest sewage systems. Its name derives from Cloacina, a Roman goddess. Built during either the Roman Kingdom or early Roman Republic, it was constructed ...

'', the spirit of the "Great Drain" or Sewer of Rome. Cloacina, the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

goddess associated with the entrance to the sewer system, was later identified with the Roman goddess

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

for unknown reasons, according to

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

History

According to legend, the foundation and cult of the Shrine was associated with the

Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines di ...

king

Titus Tatius According to the Roman foundation myth, Titus Tatius was the king of the Sabines from Cures and joint-ruler of the Kingdom of Rome for several years. During the reign of Romulus, the first king of Rome, Tatius declared war on Rome in resp ...

, who ruled during the time of Romulus (8th century BC). The Etruscan deity Cloacina may have been associated originally with the small brook, which marked the boundary between the Sabines on the

Quirinal Hill The Quirinal Hill (; la, Collis Quirinalis; it, Quirinale ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Pala ...

and Romans on the Palatine Hill and later became the city's ''

.'' Two important episodes from Rome's founding are said to have taken place at this shrine including the purification of the Sabine and Roman armies after a war following and the death of Verginia. According to legend, the father of the virtuous

Verginia Verginia, or Virginia (c. 465 BC449 BC), was the subject of a story of ancient Rome, related in Livy's ''Ab Urbe Condita''.Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology > v. 3, page 1267 /ref> The story of Verginia In 451 BC ...

, using a butcher's knife from one of the stalls of the ''Tabernae Novae ("new shops")'', killed his daughter rather than let her fall victim to the lecherous attentions of Appius Claudius in 449 BC. The Shrine of Venus Cloacina is first mentioned by the playwright

Plautus Titus Maccius Plautus (; c. 254 – 184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the ...

in the early second century BC. It was located in the Forum in front of the ''Tabernae Novae'' and on the

Via Sacra The Via Sacra (, "''Sacred Street''") was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum. The ro ...

. The ''Tabernae Novae'' were replaced by the expanded

Basilica Aemilia The Basilica Aemilia ( it, Basilica Emilia, links=no) was a civil basilica in the Roman Forum, in Rome, Italy. Today only the plan and some rebuilt elements can be seen. The Basilica was 100 meters (328 ft) long and about 30 meters (98&nbs ...

in the middle Republic (179 BC), but the Shrine was preserved. The round masonry Shrine probably dates from this construction.

Description

Coins minted during the Second Triumvirate (''ca.'' 42 BC) by a moneyer named Lucius Mussidius Longus give a fairly clear visual representation of the shrine. They show a round ''

sacellum In ancient Roman religion, a ''sacellum'' is a small shrine. The word is a diminutive from ''sacrum'' (neuter of ''sacer'', "belonging to a god"). The numerous ''sacella'' of ancient Rome included both shrines maintained on private properties by fa ...

'' (small, uncovered shrine) with a metal balustrade. The scant archaeological remains uncovered between 1899 and 1901 (round

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

substructure, marble rim, diameter 2.40 meters) conform nicely to the pictures on the coins. In his '' Natural History'' (77-79 AD),

refers to ''signa Cloacinae'', which were evidently the two statues shown on the coins and perhaps some other, unidentified objects. One of the statues is holding or waving an object (possibly a flower). Each statue has a low pillar with a bird on it (flowers and birds were well known attributes of Venus). The two statues may have represented the two aspects of the divinity, Cloacina and Venus.

Religious significance

The Romans believed that a good sewage system was important for the future success of Rome, as a good sewer system was necessary for physical health. Romans cultivated Cloacina as the goddess of purity and the goddess of filth. Cloacina's name is probably derived from the Latin verb ''cloare'' (“to purify” or “to clean”), or from ''cloaca'' (“sewer)”.Schladweiler, Jon C.
"Cloacina: Goddess of the Sewers"
Arizona Water and Pollution Control Association.

References

External links

''Cloacina Sacrum''
at the Digital Roman Forum {{DEFAULTSORT:Shrine Of Venus Cloacina Venus Cloacina Temples of Venus

History

Description

Religious significance

See also

References

Further reading

External links