Salus ( la, salus, "safety", "salvation", "welfare") was the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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 Hygieia is a goddess from Greek, as well as Roman, mythology (also referred to as: Hygiea or Hygeia; ; grc, Ὑγιεία or , la, Hygēa or ). Hygieia is a goddess of health ( el, ὑγίεια – ''hugieia''), cleanliness and hygiene. Her ...

, though their functions differ considerably. Salus is one of the oldest Roman goddesses: she has also been referred to as ''Salus Semonia'', a fact that might hint at her belonging to the category of the ''Semones'' (gods such as ''Semo

Sancus In ancient Roman religion, Sancus (also known as Sangus or Semo Sancus) was a god of trust (), honesty, and oaths. His cult, one of the most ancient amongst the Romans, probably derived from Umbrian influences. Cato and Silius Italicus wrote ...

Dius Fidius''). The two gods had temples in Rome on the ''Collis Salutaris'' and ''Mucialis'' respectively, two adjacent hilltops of the

Quirinal The Quirinal Hill (; la, Collis Quirinalis; it, Quirinale ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace ...

located in the ''regio'' ''Alta Semita''. The temple of Salus, as ''Salus Publica Populi Romani'', was voted in 304 BC, during the

Samnite Wars The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe. ...

, by dictator

Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus ( late 4th century BC) was a Roman general and statesman, he was elected consul of the Roman Republic thrice, he was also appointed ''dictator'' or '' magister equitum'' thrice, and censor in 307 BC. In 311, he made a v ...

, dedicated on 5 August 302, and adorned with frescos at the order of

Gaius Fabius Pictor Gaius (or Caius) Fabius Pictor made some of the earliest Roman paintings that have survived. At least some of his works were painted in 304 BC. No tradition of Roman painting exists earlier than the time of Fabius, nor does his example appear to h ...

. The high antiquity and importance of the cult of Salus is testified by the little-known ceremony of the ''Augurium Salutis'', held every year on August 5 for the preservation of the Roman state. Her cult was spread over all Italy. Literary sources record relationships with

Fortuna Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...

and

Spes In ancient Roman religion, Spes (pronounced ) was the goddess of hope. Multiple temples to Spes are known, and inscriptions indicate that she received private devotion as well as state cult. Republican Hope During the Republic, a temple to "anc ...

. She started to be increasingly associated with Valetudo, the Goddess of Personal Health and the romanized name of

. Later Salus also become a protector of personal health. Around 180 BCE sacrificial rites in honor of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, Aesculapius, and Salus took place (Livius XL, 37). There was a statue to Salus in the temple of Concordia. She is first known to be associated with the snake of Aesculapius from a coin of 55 BC minted by M. Acilius. Her festival was celebrated on March 30.

Salus and Sancus

The two deities were related in several ways. Their shrines (''aedes'') were very close to each other on the Quirinal (see above). Some scholars also claim some inscriptions to Sancus have been found on the ''Collis Salutaris''. Moreover, Salus is the first in the series of deities mentioned by Macrobius as related in their sacrality: ''Salus'', ''Semonia'', ''Seia'', ''Segetia'', ''Tutilina'', who required the observance of a ''dies feriatus'' of the person who happened to utter their name. These deities were connected to the ancient agrarian cults of the valley of the

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and lar ...

that remain mysterious. German scholars

Georg Wissowa Georg Otto August Wissowa (17 June 1859 – 11 May 1931) was a German classical philologist born in Neudorf, near Breslau. Education and career Wissowa studied classical philology under August Reifferscheid at the University of Breslau ...

, Eduard Norden and

Kurt Latte Kurt Latte (9 March 1891, Königsberg – 8 June 1964, Tutzing) was a German philologist and classical scholar known for his work on ancient Roman religion. Career The son of a doctor, Latte studied at the Universities of Königsberg, Bonn and Berl ...

write of a deity named ''Salus Semonia,'' who is attested to only in one inscription of year 1 A.D., mentioning a ''Salus Semonia'' in its last line (seventeen). Scholars agree that this line is a later addition of uncertain date. In other inscriptions, Salus is never connected to Semonia.''Ara Salutus'' from a slab of an altar from Praeneste; ''Salutes pocolom'' on a pitcher from Horta; ''Salus Ma n'' on a ''cippus'' from Bagnacavallo; ''Salus'' on a ''cippus'' from the sacred grove of Pisaurum; ''Salus Publica'' from

Ferentinum Ferentino is a town and ''comune'' in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, southeast of Rome. It is situated on a hill above sea level, in the Monti Ernici area. History ''Ferentinum'' was a town of the Hernici; it was captured from them ...

; ''salutei sacrum'' from Pompei.

Representation

Salus was often shown seated with her legs crossed (a common position for

Securitas In Roman mythology, Securitas was the goddess of security and stability, especially the security of the Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) ...

), leaning her elbow on the arm of her throne. Often, her right hand holds out a

patera In the material culture of classical antiquity, a ''phiale'' ( ) or ''patera'' () is a shallow ceramic or metal libation bowl. It often has a bulbous indentation ('' omphalos'', "bellybutton") in the center underside to facilitate holding it, ...

(shallow dish used in religious ceremonies) to feed a snake which is coiled round an

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

. The snake is reared up and dips its head to the patera. Sometimes her hand is open and empty, making a gesture. Sometimes the snake directs its gaze along with hers. Sometimes there is no altar; the snake is coiled around the arm of her throne instead. Occasionally, Salus has a tall staff in her left hand with a snake twined around it; sometimes her right hand raises a smaller female figure. Later, Salus is shown standing, feeding her snake. This became the most common pose: she is standing and grasping the wriggling snake firmly under her arm, directing it to the food she holds out on a dish in her other hand. Rarely, Salus is holding a steering oar in her left hand indicating her role in guiding the emperor through a healthy life. This really belongs to

Bibliography

#W. Köhler in ''Enciclopedia dell' Arte Antica'' Roma Istituto Treccani 1965 (online) s.v. #''The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania'' (IRT), eds. J.M. Reynolds and Ward Perkins, Rome & London 1952, nos 918-919. #

René Rebuffat René Rebuffat (10 September 1930 – 31 November 2019) was a French historian and archaeologist, specializing in ancient Africa. He conducted archaeological excavations at Thamusida in Morocco, Gholaia in Libya, and in the Sebou basin in Morocco. ...

: "Les Centurions du Gholaia", ''Africa Romana'' II (1984), pp 233– 238. #René Rebuffat: "Le poème de Q.Avidius Quintianus à la Déesse Salus", Karthago XXI, 1986-7, pp 95– 105. #Omran (Ragab Salaam): ''The Limes Numidiae et Tripolitanus Under the Emperor Septimius Severus AD193-211'', Unpublished PhD dissertation, Vienna University- Austria 2003, pp 76–79. #Adams(J.N.) and Iasucthan (M. Porcius): "The Poets of Bu Njem: Language, Culture and the Centurionate", ''The Journal of Roman Studies'' (JRS), Vol. 89 (1999), pp. 109–134.

References

{{Authority control Roman deities Personifications in Roman mythology

Salus and Sancus

Representation

Bibliography

See also

References