by Horatius Piscinus on Sat Aug 25, 2007 4:19 am
Salvete omnes
In the feriale Duranum, during Lemuria (9 and/or 11 May) and again at pridie Kal Junonae (31 May), the legiones held a festival specific to the military. This was the Rosalia, during which the standards were gathered together from the sacullum in the aedes in the center of a camp, ceremoniously brought out to the altar, where they were decorated with wreathes of roses and sacrifices were offered. Wreathes of roses had a special significance in the cultus of the Lares. No one really knows anything about the Rosalia, what it was about or what took place, other than what I mentioned above. But by looking at Roman pratices for the Lares elsewhere, and considering some military inscriptions, we can get a fair idea.
The focus of the religio Romana was not on the celestial Gods. Rather it focused on rites for the Lares. Secondly it focused on the spirits of the land, who were also Manes, geni locii, and then the Di inferi. This is borne out further by seeing all the dedications made by the legiones. I'll go into more on the geni locii in a future post, but for now we will look at the geni aquilae signisque.
CIL 3, 6224 = CIL 3, 7591 = ILS 2295 = IGLNovae 12 = ILBulg 282 = AE 1966, 355, Moesia inferior
Dis militaribus Genio Virtuti aquilae sanctae signisque legionis I Italicae Severianae Marcus Aurelius Iustus domo Horrei Margensis municipii Moesia superioris ex CCC (trecenario) primus pilus donum dedit dedicatum XII Kalendas Octobres Iuliano II et Crispino consulibus per Annium Italicum legatum Augusti pro praetore
"For the Lares militaris and to the Genius of Virtus within the holy Eagles and Emblems of Legio I Italica Severaina, I, Marcus Aurelius Justus, Centurian of the First Line, from the city of Horreis margensis, Moesia Superior, do give and dedicate this gift, twelve days before the Kalends of October, in the consulship of Julianus and Crispinus (20 Sept 224 CE), with the permission of Annius Italicus, Imperial Legatus and Propraetor."
When soldiers died in battle, their bodies were buried and rites were performed for their Lares. The same was done for the dead of the enemy, although probably separately. In the latter case the enemy Manes (they were not called Lares in this case) would be appeased so that they would not linger with the army to haunt them. Sort of like Ovid's Lemuria rite, "here's your beans, now go away." The families of dead soldiers, back home, would hold a rite inviting their Lares to enter into a centaph. Since they didn't have the body or ashes, they used stones as a place for the Lar to dwell and receive rites. It would appear that what the army did in rites for fallen comrads was to invite them to enter into the standards of the legiones, so that the Lares militaris would continue to travel with their units wherever they went. Perhaps you can see why the eagles were so important to the Romans and why the loss of eagles was such a great disgrace. This is also why the eagles and other standards were housed in a special sacullum at the center of a Roman army camp. The fact that the eagles were decorated with wreathes of roses at Rosalia, rather than burning the wreathes on the altar, is a good indication that the Romans believed the Lares militaris actualy resided in the aquilae.
Apparently it was not only the eagles that were thought in this manner. Some other inscriptions.
AE 1962, 117, Aquincum (Budapest), Pannonia inferior
Iovi Optimo Maximo et Laribus militaribus Marcus Iallius Bassus legatus Augusti pro praetore
CIL 3, 7493 = IScM-02-05, 127, Carsum (Hirsova), Moesia inferior
Genio centuriae F(avi Ianuari Flavius Avitianus signifer numeri Surorum sagittariorum eius voto libyenis posuit
AE 1958, 303 = AE 1961, 51, Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Xanten), Germania inferior
Genio signiferorum legionis XXX Ulpiae Victricis Publius Aelius Severinus testamento poni iussit
IGLNovae 32 = AE 1978, 707, Novae (Svishtov), Moesia inferior
Marti et Genio armamentarii Valerius Crescens custos armorum
RIB 1263 = ILS 2557 Bremenium (High Rochester), Britannia
Genio et signis cohortis I fidae Vardullorum civium Romanorum equitatae milliariae Titus Licinius Valerianus tribunus
RIB 119, Glevum (Glouchester), Britannia
Deo Genio cohortis cunctae Morivendus
RIB 448, Deva (Chester), Britannia
Genio sancto centuriae Aelius Claudianus optio votum solvit
RIB 449, Deva (Chester), Britannia
Genio legionis XX Valeriae victricis Decianae Titus Vet[
RIB 451 = AE 1927, 89, Deva (Chester), Britannia
Genio signiferorum legionis XX Valeriae victricis Titus Flavius Valerianus collegis donum dedit
These, and other inscriptions like them from all over the Empire, dedicated altars to the Lares militaris as, I think, were the geni of centuries, cohorts, and legiones. There were also certain types of soldiers who were especially honored in this manner, as is also seen in some above. The two examples below show the different spellings (on inscriptions spelling, grammar, abbreviations, nothing was standard) for the Di Veteri.
RIB 1456, Cilumum (Chesters), Britannia
Dibus Veteribus
RIB 1457, Cilumum (Chesters), Britannia
Dibus Vitiribus
The Veteri were soldiers who had served previously and were recalled to active duty. Here is a particular inscription by a Veterus, probably from the time he arrived at his new duty station.
CIL 3, 7505 = ILS 2311 = IScM-02-05, 160 = AE 1888, 11, Troesmis (Iglita), Moesia inferior
Titus Valerius Titi filius Polia Marcianus castris veteranus legionis V Macedonicae ex beneficiario consularis militare coepit Imperatore Antonino IIII consule functus expeditione Orientali sub Statio Prisco Iulio Severo Martio Vero clarissimis viris item Germanica sub Calpurnio Agricola Claudio Frontone clarissimis viris missus honesta missione in Dacia Cethego et Claro consulibus sub Cornelio Clemente clarissimo viro reversus at Lares suos et Marcia Basilissa matre dendrophororum enupta sibi Valeria Longa sorore pro salute sua suorumque
"For the welfare of himself and his family, (a ritual performed for) the ancestral spirits, the Lares, of Titus Valerius Polia Marcianus, son of Titus, a veteran soldier recalled to serve in the camp of Legio V Macedonica under distinguished Cornelius Clementus, after having served as a beneficarius soldier when Emperor Antoninus was consul for the fourth time (c. 140 C. E.), having been discharged after expeditions to the East under the distinguished gentlemen Statius Priscus, Julius Severus and Martius Vero, and also after having served in Germania under Calpurnius Agricola and Claudius Frontone, who was released then from service in Dacia during the consulships of Cethegus and Clarus, joined by his wife Marcia Basilissa, a mother patroness among the dendrophores, and by his sister Valeria Longa."
His "sister" was probably Caia Valeria Longa who is mentioned in another inscription not far away, at Utus, who was married to Caius Valerius Longinus, also son of Titus, and maybe the younger brother of Titus Valerius above. Caius Valerius was also a veterus. Caia was most likely not a Roman and had taken her husband's name when their marriage was recognized. There are inscriptions throughout the Empire where the emperors recognized concubinal relationships (soldiers were not allowed to marry while serving) as legal marriages and granted citizenship to the wives and soldiers' children. As veteri returning to active duty, the Valerii brothers were allowed to bring their wives with them, a special privilege. Titus Valerius had a very distinguished career, and although not mentioned, Caius Valerius Longinus probably did as well.
The Di veteri were likely the Lares of such returned soldiers.
Once each year, a legion would erect an altar to Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Sometimes, like the first inscription above, He was invoked along with the Lares militaris. The legiones became the home and family of soldiers. They tended to settle after service in colonies of veterans. While in the army their cultus was mainly devoted to the Lares of the comrads fallen in battle. Today in the armies of many countries, there are ceremonies honoring the standards in a fashion similar to what the Romans did. The standards are dressed in battle ribbons for every campaign a unit may have served in. In a way the same idea remains today. Although we don't think of the Lares dwelling in the standards, there is still a sense of the unit's veterans watching over the unit and its members. You go into battle with the unit's Lares at your shoulder. In WW I there are some famed stories of soldiers on both sides seeing the Lares militaris in the sky above, still watching over fellow soldiers. The cultores Romanorum honored their dead in rites at the Rosalia, as indicated in the above inscriptions, very similar to the rites of parading the colors as veterans today do in the US on Memorial Day.
Valete optime. Di Deaeque vos bene ament
M Horatius Piscinus
Sapere aude!