https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Imperial_Cult/
In the 1st century BCE, several Germanic tribes invaded Gaul and northern Italy; the king of Pontus, Mithridates VI (r. 120-63 BCE), conquered the Roman province of Asia; and the allied cities in Italy rebelled over their citizen status in the Social War, 91-87 BCE. Some men were elevated as "first citizens" to lead the republic out of these crises. After the Social War, Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138-78 BCE) led an army into Rome and became dictator. A dictator could confer martial law and was not responsible for subsequent lawsuits during his rule. He reformed the government in favor of the Senate and removed the power of veto in the Plebian Assembly. He proscribed his enemies in a "reign of terror," through mass executions. The period after his death is notable for senatorial and Plebian factions either upholding or trying to undo Sulla's constitution.
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE), Sulla's nephew by marriage, created the First Triumvirate with the general Pompey (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus) and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Crassus died fighting against the Parthian Empire at the Battle of Carrhae, 53 BCE. In a subsequent civil war, Caesar defeated Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE. While in the East, he permitted some cities to erect statues of himself, with the epithet "divine Julius". The family of the Caesars claimed that they were the descendants of the founder of Rome, Aeneas, the son of Venus.
Ceasar created legislation to restore the Roman law. He had been elected as the pontifex maximus, the chief priest of Roman religion, and so his changes were validated in relation to Roman religion. The Senate granted him the title of dictator for life. Many senators saw his rise as going against the mos maiorum, the customs of the ancestors, and a group of them assassinated him over their claim that he aspired to be king of Rome.
Octavianus/Augustus
Octavianus became the "first citizen", princeps ... Through adoption, he was now [also] Octavianus Caesar, which became the official title for subsequent emperors. The role of pontifex maximus became an inherited function of emperors. The Senate voted him the title of Augustus ("esteemed one") in 27 BCE. Moving from a republic to an empire, all rule was centralized under his authority. Elections for magistrates continued, but Augustus chose the candidates. As Julius' heir, he later had coins issued with the title, "son of god".
The Imperial Cult of Roma
After the end of the war with Antony, the Eastern client kings of Rome traveled to the city to indicate their loyalty and allegiance. They petitioned Augustus for permission to build temples and offer sacrifices to him. Initially refusing because Romans did not worship their magistrates, his advisors recognized the fiscal and propaganda advantage of these temples, and so he granted permission. They could erect a temple to the goddess Roma, an abstract concept of all the virtues of Roman civilization. Roma could be petitioned for the prosperity of the empire as a whole and not just the emperor. In the provinces, the imperial cult was now a way to 'climb the ladder' in terms of status. In order to replenish the Treasury after the last civil war, priesthoods of the cult were sold to the highest bidders.
Augustus extended the Roman worship of the lares, ancient household deities that oversaw property and the family. He claimed that the lares of his family would protect his new Pax Romana, "the Roman peace". His Altar of Peace, the Ara Pacis Augustae was dedicated in 13 BCE. It highlighted all the members of the imperial family, natural as well as adopted.
Imperial temples were established throughout the empire, from Roman Britain to North Africa. As an addition to the imperial temples, Augustus published his Res Gestae, a list of all of his deeds and titles during his reign. Myths emerged that his mother, Atia, Julius Caesar's niece, had been impregnated by the god Apollo. The vast extent of the Roman Empire contained distinct ethnic groups and their various gods. The imperial cult did not replace these ancient traditions but provided a layer of Romanization that unified the new empire. The precedent was established for the deification of emperors, but only after their death. When Augustus died in 14 CE, he was deified by the Senate.
The Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The next few emperors were the descendants of Augustus and Livia Drusilla's lineage from the founding family of the Claudians. Augustus adopted the two sons of Livia by a previous marriage, Tiberius, and Drusus. Drusus died fighting in Germania, leaving Tiberius the heir. ... [from] the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, [o]nly Claudius [is said here to have been] deified after his death.
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In the 1st century BCE, several Germanic tribes invaded Gaul and northern Italy; the king of Pontus, Mithridates VI (r. 120-63 BCE), conquered the Roman province of Asia; and the allied cities in Italy rebelled over their citizen status in the Social War, 91-87 BCE. Some men were elevated as "first citizens" to lead the republic out of these crises. After the Social War, Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138-78 BCE) led an army into Rome and became dictator. A dictator could confer martial law and was not responsible for subsequent lawsuits during his rule. He reformed the government in favor of the Senate and removed the power of veto in the Plebian Assembly. He proscribed his enemies in a "reign of terror," through mass executions. The period after his death is notable for senatorial and Plebian factions either upholding or trying to undo Sulla's constitution.
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE), Sulla's nephew by marriage, created the First Triumvirate with the general Pompey (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus) and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Crassus died fighting against the Parthian Empire at the Battle of Carrhae, 53 BCE. In a subsequent civil war, Caesar defeated Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE. While in the East, he permitted some cities to erect statues of himself, with the epithet "divine Julius". The family of the Caesars claimed that they were the descendants of the founder of Rome, Aeneas, the son of Venus.
Ceasar created legislation to restore the Roman law. He had been elected as the pontifex maximus, the chief priest of Roman religion, and so his changes were validated in relation to Roman religion. The Senate granted him the title of dictator for life. Many senators saw his rise as going against the mos maiorum, the customs of the ancestors, and a group of them assassinated him over their claim that he aspired to be king of Rome.
Octavianus/Augustus
Octavianus became the "first citizen", princeps ... Through adoption, he was now [also] Octavianus Caesar, which became the official title for subsequent emperors. The role of pontifex maximus became an inherited function of emperors. The Senate voted him the title of Augustus ("esteemed one") in 27 BCE. Moving from a republic to an empire, all rule was centralized under his authority. Elections for magistrates continued, but Augustus chose the candidates. As Julius' heir, he later had coins issued with the title, "son of god".
The Imperial Cult of Roma
After the end of the war with Antony, the Eastern client kings of Rome traveled to the city to indicate their loyalty and allegiance. They petitioned Augustus for permission to build temples and offer sacrifices to him. Initially refusing because Romans did not worship their magistrates, his advisors recognized the fiscal and propaganda advantage of these temples, and so he granted permission. They could erect a temple to the goddess Roma, an abstract concept of all the virtues of Roman civilization. Roma could be petitioned for the prosperity of the empire as a whole and not just the emperor. In the provinces, the imperial cult was now a way to 'climb the ladder' in terms of status. In order to replenish the Treasury after the last civil war, priesthoods of the cult were sold to the highest bidders.
Augustus extended the Roman worship of the lares, ancient household deities that oversaw property and the family. He claimed that the lares of his family would protect his new Pax Romana, "the Roman peace". His Altar of Peace, the Ara Pacis Augustae was dedicated in 13 BCE. It highlighted all the members of the imperial family, natural as well as adopted.
Imperial temples were established throughout the empire, from Roman Britain to North Africa. As an addition to the imperial temples, Augustus published his Res Gestae, a list of all of his deeds and titles during his reign. Myths emerged that his mother, Atia, Julius Caesar's niece, had been impregnated by the god Apollo. The vast extent of the Roman Empire contained distinct ethnic groups and their various gods. The imperial cult did not replace these ancient traditions but provided a layer of Romanization that unified the new empire. The precedent was established for the deification of emperors, but only after their death. When Augustus died in 14 CE, he was deified by the Senate.
The Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The next few emperors were the descendants of Augustus and Livia Drusilla's lineage from the founding family of the Claudians. Augustus adopted the two sons of Livia by a previous marriage, Tiberius, and Drusus. Drusus died fighting in Germania, leaving Tiberius the heir. ... [from] the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, [o]nly Claudius [is said here to have been] deified after his death.
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Statistics: Posted by MrMacSon — Fri Nov 15, 2024 10:52 pm