Ferentina was the patron goddess of the city Ferentinum,

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whic ...

. She was protector of the Latin commonwealth. She was also closely associated with the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. A grove sacred to the goddess was used as the site of a famous meeting of the leaders of the Latin towns with the last king of Rome,

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BC) was the legendary seventh and final king of Rome, reigning 25 years until the popular uprising that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic.Livy, ''ab urbe condita libri'', wikisource:From_the_ ...

, at the beginning of his reign. The leading citizen of Aricia, Turnus Herdonius was murdered at the command of Tarquinius, by being drowned in the

sacred waters Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, spring (hydrosphere), springs, Water reservoir, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with th ...

of the grove. The sacred grove also features in the history of Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. In 491 BC, the Volscian leader Attius Tullus Aufidius sought to stir up trouble in Rome by contriving for the

Roman senate The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Sena ...

to expel the Volsci from the city during the Great Games. Attius met the fleeing Volsci at Ferentina's grove, and spoke to them, stirring up their feelings against Rome. Attius' actions led to a war between Rome and the Volsci.

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

, ''

Ab urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita'' (; 'from the founding of Rome, founding of the City'), or (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is ...

'', 2:37

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