Tempio di Marte Ultore (Roma) - Laterale

Ultio ("Vengeance") was an ancient Roman goddess whose ''

cultus Cultus may refer to: *Cult (religious practice) * ''Cultus'' (stonefly), a genus of stoneflies * Cultus Bay, a bay in Washington * Cultus Lake (disambiguation) *Cultus River The Cultus River is a stream in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in Desc ...

'' was associated with

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

. An altar and golden statue of Ultio were set up in the

Temple of Mars Ultor The Temple of Mars ''Ultor'' was a sanctuary erected in Ancient Rome by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 2 BCE and dedicated to the god Mars in his guise as avenger. The centerpiece of the Forum of Augustus, it was a peripteral style temple, on th ...

, dedicated by

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

in 2 BC as a center for cultivating Mars the Avenger. As a cultural value, the ''ultio'' embodied by the divinity was problematic, and it could be hard to draw the line between righteous vengeance and mere

revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

. The ''ultio'' exercised by emperors was to be balanced with the virtue of ''

clementia In Roman mythology, Clementia was the goddess of clemency, leniency, mercy, forgiveness, penance, redemption, absolution, acquittal and salvation. She was defined as a celebrated virtue of Julius Caesar, who was famed for his forbearance, espec ...

'', tolerance or mercy. Augustus honored Mars Ultor and Ultio in his role as the avenger of the murder of Julius Caesar, whose adopted heir he was, but he founded the cult and temple only 40 years later, to mark the return of the Roman military standards captured by the Parthians at the disastrous

Battle of Carrhae The Battle of Carrhae () was fought in 53 BC between the Roman Republic and the Parthian Empire near the ancient town of Carrhae (present-day Harran, Turkey). An invading force of seven legions of Roman heavy infantry under Marcus Licinius Cra ...

in 53 BC. The "avenging" of this military catastrophe—accomplished through diplomacy rather than a decisive battle—mitigated the potential divisiveness of celebrating the defeat of fellow Romans.

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

quashed plans for an altar to Ultio to mark the successful prosecutions in the death of

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was an ancient Roman general, known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the Patric ...

. According to

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...

, Tiberius thought triumphalist monuments should be reserved for the defeat of foreign enemies.

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

, however, returned to a more archaic concept of ''ultio'' as personal revenge. The Temple of Mars Ultor became a theater for dramatizing acts of vengeance: the surrender of

Adminius Adminius, Amminius or Amminus was a son of Cunobelinus,_ruler_of_the_Catuvellauni.html" ;"title="ymbeline/nowiki>_(d._''c'' ..., ruler of the Catuvellauni">ymbeline/nowiki>_(d._''c'' ..., ruler of the Catuvellauni, a tribe of Iron Age Britain. His ...

, son of

Cunobelinus Cunobeline (or Cunobelin, from Latin , derived from Common Brittonic ''*Cunobelinos'' "Strong as a Dog", "Strong Dog") was a king in pre-Roman Britain from about AD 9 until about AD 40.Malcolm Todd (2004)"Cunobelinus_

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

, an advisor of Caligula's successor Nero, cautioned that effective ''ultio'' required self-control or moderation: it should result in a useful example, and not be carried out under the influence of emotion.Seneca, ''De clementia'' 1.20.1, as noted by K.M. Coleman, "Fatal Charades: Roman Executions Staged as Mythological Enactments," ''Journal of Roman Studies'' 80 (1990), p. 49.

References

{{Roman religion Roman goddesses Personifications in Roman mythology

See also

References