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

, agricultural deities were thought to care for every aspect of growing, harvesting, and storing crops. Preeminent among these are such major deities as

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...

and

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

, but a large number of the many

Roman deities The Roman deities most widely known today are those the Romans identified with Greek counterparts (see ''interpretatio graeca''), integrating Greek myths, iconography, and sometimes religious practices into Roman culture, including Latin lite ...

known by name either supported farming or were devoted solely to a specific agricultural function. From 272 to 264 BC, four temples were dedicated separately to the agricultural deities

Consus In ancient Roman religion, the god Consus was the protector of grains. He was represented by a grain seed. His altar ''(ara)'' was located at the first ''meta'' of the Circus Maximus. It was either underground, or according to other sources, cove ...

Tellus Tellus is a Latin word meaning "Earth" and may refer to: * An alternative name for the planet Earth * Tellus of Athens, a citizen of ancient Athens who was thought to be the happiest of men * Tellus Mater or Terra Mater, the ancient Roman earth mo ...

Pales In ancient Roman religion, Pales was a deity of shepherds, flocks and livestock. Regarded as male by some sources and female by others, ''Pales'' can be either singular or plural in Latin, and refers at least once to a pair of deities. Pales' fes ...

, and Vortumnus. The establishment of four such temples within a period of eight years indicates a high degree of concern for stabilizing and developing the productivity of Italy following the

Pyrrhic War The Pyrrhic War (280–275 BC) was largely fought between the Roman Republic and Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, who had been asked by the people of the Greek city of Tarentum in southern Italy to help them in their war against the Romans. A ski ...

Varro, ''De re rustica''

At the beginning of his treatise on

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) 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 Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

gives a list of twelve deities who are vital to agriculture. These make up a conceptual or theological grouping, and are not known to have received cult collectively. They are: *

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

* Sol-

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roma ...

Liber In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Liber ( , ; "the free one"), also known as Liber Pater ("the free Father"), was a god of viticulture and wine, male fertility and freedom. He was a patron deity of Rome's plebeians and was part of the ...

* Robigus-

Flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

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 fa ...

Lympha The Lympha (plural ''Lymphae'') is an ancient Roman deity of fresh water. She is one of twelve agricultural deities listed by Varro as "leaders" (''duces'') of Roman farmers, because "without water all agriculture is dry and poor." The Lymphae ...

Bonus Eventus Bonus Eventus ("Good Outcome") was a divine personification in ancient Roman religion. The Late Republican scholar Varro lists him as one of the twelve deities who presided over agriculture, paired with Lympha, the goddess who influenced the wate ...

Vergil, ''Georgics''

In his ''

Georgics The ''Georgics'' ( ; ) is a poem by Latin poet Virgil, likely published in 29 BCE. As the name suggests (from the Greek word , ''geōrgika'', i.e. "agricultural (things)") the subject of the poem is agriculture; but far from being an example ...

'', a collection of poetry on agrarian themes,

Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

gives a list influenced by literary

Hellenization Hellenization (other British spelling Hellenisation) or Hellenism is the adoption of Greek culture, religion, language and identity by non-Greeks. In the ancient period, colonization often led to the Hellenization of indigenous peoples; in the ...

and Augustan ideology: Tellus - Ara Pacis

*Sol-Luna *Liber-Ceres * Fauni-

Dryads A dryad (; el, Δρυάδες, ''sing''.: ) is a tree nymph or tree spirit in Greek mythology. ''Drys'' (δρῦς) signifies " oak" in Greek, and dryads were originally considered the nymphs of oak trees specifically, but the term has evolved t ...

*Neptune *

Aristaeus A minor god in Greek mythology, attested mainly by Athenian writers, Aristaeus (; ''Aristaios'' (Aristaîos); lit. “Most Excellent, Most Useful”), was the culture hero credited with the discovery of many useful arts, including bee-keeping; ...

* Pan-Minerva *

Triptolemus In Greek mythology, Triptolemus ( el, Τριπτόλεμος, ''Triptólemos'', lit. "threefold warrior"; also known as Buzyges) is a figure connected with the goddess Demeter of the Eleusinian Mysteries. He was either a mortal prince, the el ...

* Silvanus The poet proposes that the ''

divus 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 ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

be added as a thirteenth.

''Indigitamenta''

Ceres' helper gods

Twelve specialized gods known only by name are invoked for the "cereal rite" ''(sacrum cereale)'' in honor of Ceres and Tellus. The twelve are all male, with names formed from the

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

suffix ''-tor''. Although their gender indicates that they are not aspects of the two goddesses who were the main recipients of the ''sacrum,'' their names are "mere appellatives" for verbal functions. The rite was held just before the

Feriae Sementivae Sementivae, also known as Feriae Sementivae or Sementina dies (in the country called Paganalia), was a Roman festival of sowing. It was a type of ''feriae conceptivae''

r ''conceptae'' R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irelan ...

These free days were held every year, but not on certain or ...

. W.H. Roscher lists these deities among the ''

indigitamenta In ancient Roman religion, the ''indigitamenta'' were lists of deities kept by the College of Pontiffs to assure that the correct divine names were invoked for public prayers. These lists or books probably described the nature of the various dei ...

'', lists of names kept by the pontiffs for invoking specific divine functions. *

Vervactor In Roman mythology, Vervactor was the deity of ploughing fallow Fallow is a farming technique in which arable land is left without sowing for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal of fallowing is to allow the land to recover and store org ...

, "He who ploughs" * Reparator, "He who prepares the earth" *

Imporcitor In Roman mythology Imporcitor was the God (male deity), deity of ploughing land with a wide furrow. He was one of the twelve helper gods of Ceres (mythology), Ceres. He is also labeled as the maker of pigs. His name was invoked during the Cereali ...

, "He who ploughs with a wide furrow" *

Insitor Insitor was, in Ancient Roman religion, a minor agricultural deity involved with the sowing of crops. His name was invoked during the Cerealia, along with the other 11 helper gods of Ceres. References

Agricultural gods Helper gods of Cer ...

, "He who plants seeds" *

Obarator In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, Ceres ( , ) was a goddess of Roman agriculture, agriculture, cereal, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships.Room, Adrian, ''Who's Who in Classical Mythology'', p. 89-90. NTC Publish ...

, "He who traces the first ploughing" * Occator, "He who harrows" *

Serritor In Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern stu ...

, "He who digs" *

Subruncinator In ancient Roman religion, Ceres ( , ) was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships.Room, Adrian, ''Who's Who in Classical Mythology'', p. 89-90. NTC Publishing 1990. . She was originally the central deity i ...

, "He who weeds" * Messor, "He who reaps" *

Conuector In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, Ceres ( , ) was a goddess of Roman agriculture, agriculture, cereal, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships.Room, Adrian, ''Who's Who in Classical Mythology'', p. 89-90. NTC Publish ...

(Convector), "He who carries the grain" *

Conditor In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, Ceres ( , ) was a goddess of Roman agriculture, agriculture, cereal, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships.Room, Adrian, ''Who's Who in Classical Mythology'', p. 89-90. NTC Publish ...

, "He who stores the grain" * Promitor, "He who distributes the grain"

Other ''indigitamenta''

The names of other specialized agricultural gods are preserved in scattered sources. * Rusina is a goddess of the fields (from Latin ''rus, ruris''; cf. English "rural" and "rustic").Augustine, ''De Civitate Dei'' 4.8. * Rusor is invoked with Altor by the pontiffs in a sacrifice to the earth deities

and

Tellumo In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion and Roman mythology, mythology, Tellus Mater or Terra Mater ("Mother Earth") is the personification of the Earth. Although Tellus and Terra are hardly distinguishable during the Roman Empire, Im ...

. In interpreting the god's function, Varro derives ''Rusor'' from ''rursus'', "again," because of the cyclical nature of agriculture. As a matter of linguistics, the name is likely to derive from either the root ''ru-'', as in

Rumina In ancient Roman religion, Rumina, also known as Diva Rumina, was a goddess who protected breastfeeding mothers, and possibly nursing infants. Her domain extended to protecting animal mothers, not just human ones. As one of the ''indigitamenta'', ...

, the

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that br ...

goddess (perhaps from ''ruma,'' "teat"), or ''rus, ruris'' as the male counterpart of Rusina. ''Altor'' is an agent god from the verb ''alo, alere, altus'', "to grow, nurture, nourish". According to Varro, he received ''

res divina In ancient Rome, ''res divinae'', singular ''res divina'' (Latin for "divine matters," that is, the service of the gods), were the laws that pertained to the religious duties of the state and its officials. Roman law was divided into the ''res divi ...

'' because "all things which are born are nourished from the earth". * Sator (from the same root as ''Insitor'' above), the "sower" god. * Seia, goddess who protects the seed once sown in the earth; also as Fructesea, compounded with ''fructus'', "produce, fruit" * Segesta, goddess who promotes the growth of the seedling. * Hostilina, goddess who makes grain grow evenly. * Lactans or Lacturnus, god who infuses crops with "milk" (sap or juice). * Volutina, goddess who induces "envelopes" (''involumenta'') or leaf sheaths to form. * Nodutus, god who causes the "knot" (Latin ''nodus'') or node to form. * Patelana (''Patelena, Patella''), goddess who opens up ''(pateo, patere)'' the grain, possibly in reference to the emergence of the flag leaf. * Runcina (as in ''Subruncinator'' above), the weeder goddess, or a goddess of mowing. * Messia, the female equivalent of ''Messor'' the reaper, and associated with Tutelina. * Noduterensis (compare ''Nodutus'') or Terensis, the god of threshing * Tutelina (also ''Tutulina'' or ''Tutilina''), a goddess who watches over the stored grain.

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

, ''De Civitate Dei'' 4.8; Tertullian, ''De spectaculis'' 8. *

Sterquilinus In Roman mythology, Sterquilinus — also called Stercutus and Sterculius — was a god of odor. He may have been equivalent to Picumnus. The ''Larousse Encyclopaedia of Mythology'' gives the name as Stercutius, a pseudonym of Saturn, under whi ...

(also as ''Sterces, Stercutus, Sterculus, Sterculinus''), who

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the Soil fertility, fertility of soil by adding organic ma ...

s the fields.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman agricultural deities *Agricultural Agriculture-related lists Deities, agricultural