The College of Aesculapius and Hygia was an association ''(

collegium A (plural ), or college, was any association in ancient Rome that acted as a legal entity. Following the passage of the ''Lex Julia'' during the reign of Julius Caesar as Consul and Dictator of the Roman Republic (49–44 BC), and their rea ...

)'' founded in the mid-2nd century AD by a wealthy Roman woman named Salvia Marcellina, in honor of her dead husband and the

procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * ''Procurator'' (Ancient Rome), the title o ...

for whom he had worked. It is known from a lengthy inscription, dated March 11, 153 AD, that preserves the

statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

''(lex)'' under which the college was constituted. The college was located on the

Appian Way The Appian Way (Latin and Italian language, Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient Roman Republic, republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is ...

on the outskirts of Rome, between the first and second

milestones A milestone is a marker of distance along roads. Milestone may also refer to: Measurements *Milestone (project management), metaphorically, markers of reaching an identifiable stage in any task or the project *Software release life cycle state, s ...

near the oldest Temple of Mars at Rome. In addition to its commemorative purpose, the college served as a

burial society A burial society is a type of benefit/friendly society. These groups historically existed in England and elsewhere, and were constituted for the purpose of providing by voluntary subscriptions for the funeral expenses of the husband, wife or child ...

and

dining club A dining club (UK) or eating club (US) is a social group, usually requiring membership (which may, or may not be available only to certain people), which meets for dinners and discussion on a regular basis. They may also often have guest speakers. ...

for its members.

Purpose

The college was founded by Salvia Marcellina, the ''mater'' (female chief

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

) of the college, to preserve the memory of her husband, Marcus Ulpius Capito, and the procurator Flavius Apollonius, for whom he had worked. Capito is commemorated in the inscription as ''maritus optimus piissimus'', "best and most devoted husband". Apollonius had overseen the art galleries ''(

pinacotheca A pinacotheca (Latin borrowing from grc, πινακοθήκη, pinakothēkē = grc, πίναξ, pinax, (painted) board, tablet, label=none + grc, θήκη, thēkē, box, chest, label=none) was a picture gallery in either ancient Greece or anc ...

e)'' at the imperial palace. According to the inscription, the building in which the college was housed took the form of a shrine ''(

aedicula In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (plural ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, ...

)'' and pergola, with an attached covered

solarium Solarium may refer to: * A sunroom, a room built largely of glass to afford exposure to the sun * A terrace (building) or flat housetop * The '' Solarium Augusti'', a monumental meridian line (or perhaps a sundial) erected in Rome by Emperor Augu ...

. It had a marble statue of Aesculapius, a god of healing. The

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

of Aesculapius and

Hygia ''Hygia'' is a large genus of Asian seed bugs in the tribe Colpurini, erected by Philip Reese Uhler Philip Reese Uhler (June 3, 1835 – October 21, 1913) was an American librarian and entomologist who specialized in Hemiptera, an insect ord ...

had come to Rome in 293 BC. Although Hygia had been officially recognized as the counterpart of Roman

Salus Salus ( la, salus, "safety", "salvation", "welfare") was the Roman goddess of safety and well-being (welfare, health and prosperity) of both the individual and the state. She is sometimes equated with the Greek goddess Hygieia, though their fu ...

("Health, Wellbeing, Salvation, Security") in 180 BC, she was rarely cultivated apart from Aesculapius, and her devotees at Rome were typically Greek. The ''collegium'' also had an obligation to take part in

Imperial cult An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title) are worshipped as demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejorative sense. The cult may ...

by observing the birthday of the reigning emperor,

Antoninus Pius Antoninus Pius (Latin: ''Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius''; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Born into a senatoria ...

. The name of Flavius Apollonius, the procurator who was the joint honoree of the college, indicates that he was a

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

of a Flavian emperor, most likely

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...

. Commemoration of the emperor's birthday was the only observance required of the college that specifies a site other than its headquarters: ''in templo Divorum in aede divi Titi,'' "in the shrine ''(

aedes ''Aedes'' is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except perhaps Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: '' Aedes albopictus'', a particularly invasive sp ...

)'' of the divinized

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

within the precinct ''(

templum The vocabulary of ancient Roman religion was highly specialized. Its study affords important information about the religion, traditions and beliefs of the ancient Romans. This legacy is conspicuous in European cultural history in its influence on ...

)'' of the Divine mperors''( Divi)''". This cultic link between Aesculapius–Hygia and the

Temple of Vespasian and Titus The Temple of Vespasian and Titus ( la, Templum divi Vespasiani,Platner, Samuel B., and Ashby, Thomas. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome''. London: Oxford UP, 1929; p. 556. it, Tempio di Vespasiano) is located in Rome at the western e ...

is one of several indications that the divinized Flavii were also regarded as healers.

Funding

The college was established by an endowment of 50,000

sesterces The ''sestertius'' (plural ''sestertii''), or sesterce (plural sesterces), was an ancient Roman coin. During the Roman Republic it was a small, silver coin issued only on rare occasions. During the Roman Empire it was a large brass coin. The na ...

''(HS)'' from Salvia Marcellina, who also provided the building for its meetings. An additional grant of 10,000 ''HS'' for memorial dinners was made by Publius Aelius Zeno, the brother of Salvia's deceased husband and a ''pater'' (male patron) of the college. The charter stipulated that the college would operate as a

lender A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property ...

, and fund its expenses through interest charges on amounts borrowed from its capital endowment.

Membership

The college was limited to sixty members, and admitted new members only to replace those who had died. The membership fee was half the ''funeraticium'', a publicly funded burial allowance of 250 ''HS'' instituted under the emperor

Nerva Nerva (; originally Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dy ...

(reigned 96–98 AD) for the Roman ''

plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizenship, Roman citizens who were not Patrician (ancient Rome), patricians, as determined by the capite censi, census, or in other words "commoners". Both ...

''. A member could bequeath his place to his son or brother, or to one of his freedmen ''(liberti)''. At the time of its founding, the president of the college (''quinquennalis)'' was Gaius Ofilius Hermes. Some members were ''immunes'', exempt from fees. Others were ''curatores'', "caretakers". The body of regular members was the ''populus'', "the people".

Meetings and benefits

Like other ''collegia'', the College of Aesculapius and Hygia would have a monthly business meeting ''(conventus)'' at which a dinner was served. Antoninus Pius (Museo del Prado) 01

Two types of distributions for members were funded: ''sportulae'', "handouts" in the form of cash gifts; and four occasions when ''sportulae'' were accompanied by bread and wine for a meal: the "love feast" on February 22 when Roman families commemorated their beloved dead; a "Violet Day" on March 22; a "Rose Day" on May 11; and the founding of the college on November 8. The full cycle of events was: * January 8, ''strenae'', gifts given at the end of the New Year celebrations * February 22, '' Cara Cognatio'' * March 14, a dinner ''(

cena The Directorate General for Civil Aviation (french: Direction générale de l'aviation civile, DGAC) is the French civil aviation authority. Its headquarters are in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, 50 Henry-Farman. It is subordinate to the Mini ...

)'' presented by the ''quinquennalis'' * March 22, ''Dies Violaris'' * May 11, ''Dies Rosalis'' * September 19, ''sportulae'' commemorating the birthday ''( dies natalis)'' of Antoninus Pius * November 8, the ''natalis collegi''. The ''Dies Violaris'' and ''Rosalis'' are flower festivals during the blooming season of violets and roses when tombs were adorned with garlands. ''Sportulae'' were distributed on a benefits scale based on the member's place in the college hierarchy, and the amounts also varied by occasion. For the emperor's birthday, the patrons (''mater'' and ''pater'') and the ''quinquennalis'' each received 12 ''HS'', the ''immunes'' and ''curatores'' 8 ''HS'', and the regular members 4 ''HS''.

Significance

The ''lex'' or statute by which the college was constituted was approved on March 11, 153 AD. The inscription that preserves it ''(Lex Collegi Aesculapi et Hygiae)'' is one of the most important pieces of evidence in understanding the various ''collegia'' organized among Rome's lower classes, most of which were focused on a trade or a deity.

Voluntary associations A voluntary group or union (also sometimes called a voluntary organization, common-interest association, association, or society) is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement, usually as volunteers, to form a body (or organization) to ac ...

and

confraternities A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most ...

were an important part of social life in the Roman Empire, particularly for those whose personal resources were limited. In addition to burial societies and drinking and dining clubs, inscriptions and other documents attest to the regulated existence of numerous professional and trade guilds, performing arts troupes, veterans' groups, and religious sodalities ''(sodalitates)''.Michael Peachin, introduction to ''The Oxford Handbook of Social Relations in the Roman World'' (Oxford University Press, 2011), pp. 17, 20;

Fergus Millar Sir Fergus Graham Burtholme Millar, (; 5 July 1935 – 15 July 2019) was a British ancient historian and academic. He was Camden Professor of Ancient History at the University of Oxford between 1984 and 2002. He numbers among the most influ ...

, "Empire and City, Augustus to Julian: Obligations, Excuses and Status," ''Journal of Roman Studies'' 73 (1983), pp. 81–82.

References