A Family of Gods by McIntyre Gwynaeth;

Author:McIntyre, Gwynaeth; [McIntyre, Gwynaeth;]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The *Augustales as Priests

Similar to the issues discussed in chapters 3 and 4, several problems arise when trying to determine how and why *Augustales were established and what role they played in the provincial communities. First, most of these inscriptions are brief funerary notices that rarely provide more details concerning the organization to which the deceased belonged. Second, more than half of these inscriptions cannot be dated, making a reconstruction of organizational development over time difficult. Finally, the fragmentary nature of many of the inscriptions further complicates analysis. However, a significant number of inscriptions concern *Augustales involved in religious dedications, and some of these inscriptions can be dated, enabling them to be used to determine how these groups varied geographically and over time, thereby providing another avenue of inquiry into the worship of the imperial family, how these groups spread, and changes in religious practices over time.

The earliest religious dedication from a member of the *Augustales outside of Italy comes from the oppidum Avaricum Biturigum in the province of Aquitania. A dedication was made for the health of the Caesars (pro salute Caesarum) to Minerva and to Diva Drusilla by Gaius Agileius, a sevir Augustalis.470 This inscription dates to the period immediately following the deification of Drusilla during the reign of Caligula and demonstrates that knowledge of the first deified woman was broadcast throughout the empire and that communities and individuals within those communities sought to worship this new deity. A connection appears to exist between Caligula and the goddess Minerva, and Suetonius relates that Caligula took his daughter, Julia Drusilla, born to him by Caesonia, through the temples of all the goddesses and finally placed her in the lap of Minerva.471 Although it is unclear whether Caligula made a habit of connecting his family with Minerva, this inscription demonstrates a connection between the worship of the living emperor and his heirs, a goddess of the Roman pantheon (Minerva), and a deified member of the imperial family (Diva Drusilla).

The number of *Augustales inscriptions increases dramatically during the 2nd century CE, in keeping with the overall increase in the Roman epigraphic habit in this period.472 A notable exception, however, is the provinces in Africa, which have yielded a large number of inscriptions generally but have provided very few inscriptions referring to the *Augustales. Inscriptions referring to the *Augustales during the 2nd century CE show substantial variation as well, as all the variations of titles are found and dedications are made not only to members of the imperial family (Trajan, Divus Antoninus Pius, and Commodus as well as a number of dedications for the health of the emperor and his family, the domus divina, and the domus Augusta) and to Roman gods (such as Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Juno Regina, Silvanus, Mithras, Magna Mater), native gods paired with Roman gods (Apollo Zminthio, Mercury and Rosmerta, Mars Beladonus), native gods (Bea Bebraci, Dea Nehalennia, Deus Varnenoni, Dea Nehalennia), gods with the epithet Augustus (Mercury Augustus, Diana Augusta, Mars Augustus, Isis Augusta, Aesculapius Augustus), and

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