ancient Roman religion Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the Roman people, people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as high ...

, the Di Penates () or Penates ( ) were among the ''dii familiares'', or household deities, invoked most often in domestic rituals. When the family had a meal, they threw a bit into the fire on the hearth for the Penates. They were thus associated with Vesta, the Lares, and the Genius of the '' pater familias'' in the "little universe" of the '' domus''. Like other domestic deities, the Penates had a public counterpart.

Function

An etymological interpretation of the Penates would make them in origin tutelary deities of the storeroom,

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''penus'', the innermost part of the house, where they guarded the household's food, wine, oil, and other supplies. As they were originally associated with the source of food, they eventually became a symbol of the continuing life of the family.

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

explained that they "dwell inside, from which they are also called ''penetrales'' by the poets". The 2nd-century AD grammarian Festus defined ''penus'', however, as "the most secret site in the shrine of Vesta, which is surrounded by curtains." Macrobius reports the theological view of

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Virgil and Cicero). He is sometimes call ...

that "those who dig out truth more diligently have said that the Penates are those through whom we breathe in our inner core ''(penitus)'', through whom we have a body, through whom we possess a rational mind."

Public Penates

The Penates of Rome (''Penates Publici Populi Romani'') had a temple on the Velia near the

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

. Dionysius of Halicarnassus says it housed statues of two youths in the archaic style. The public cult of the ancestral gods of the Roman people originated in Lavinium, where they were also closely linked with Vesta. One tradition identified the public Penates as the sacred objects rescued by Aeneas from

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

and carried by him to Italy. They, or perhaps rival duplicates, were eventually housed in the Temple of Vesta in the Forum. Thus, the Penates, unlike the localized Lares, are portable deities. Archaeological evidence from Lavinium shows marked influence from Greece in the archaic period, and Aeneas was venerated there as Jupiter Indiges. At the New Year on

March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...

Roman magistrate The Roman magistrates () were elected officials in ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate.Abbott, 8 His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgive ...

s first sacrificed to Capitoline Jupiter at Rome, and then traveled to Lavinium for sacrifices to Jupiter Indiges and Vesta, and a ceremonial visit to the "Trojan" Penates. Emma Dench, ''Romulus' Asylum: Roman Identities from the Age of Alexander to the Age of Hadrian'' (Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 202; Arnaldo Momigliano, "How to Reconcile Greeks and Trojans," in ''On Pagans, Jews, and Christians'' (Wesleyan University Press, 1987), p. 272.

References

{{Authority control Tutelary deities Ancient Roman religion Roman deities Deities in the Aeneid Household deities

Function

Public Penates

See also

References