Roman Mythology: Architecture & Artifacts

There are many mythological stories that exist sourced from the Ancient Roman times. Mythology is extremely prevalent in the architecture of both the ancient buildings and the contemporary buildings in Rome. However, most of the Roman mythology stems from Greek mythology. The Ancient Romans renamed the characters of and retold with slight differences the stories of Greek mythology. For Ancient Romans, mythology was not regarded as fictional or metaphorical, but as true historical fact.

Prevalence of Goddesses, Gods, & Angels in Roman Architecture

Just walking around Rome, on almost every corner you turn, you can see an abundance of mythological-inspired architecture. Many of the buildings and bridges are decorated with goddesses, gods, angels, and other mythological creatures. In this post I’ll discuss just a few of the multitudes of mythological stories and details inspired by architecture and artifacts I’ve come across during my studies in Rome (I took a Mythology and Architecture class here, and last week just finished my final exam for that course!).

I asked my local friend Giovanni what his thoughts on the intertwining of mythology and architecture in Italy were, and he told me “During the Roman Empire, Romans took the Greek gods and adopted them to their culture, for example Greek Zeus became Jupiter for Romans. So much of Roman structures and religion was based on Greece, almost all of Roman culture was based on Greek culture. The figures of the gods, the structures of the temples, and the architectural columns were all based on Greek ones. Almost everything started from Greek culture: philosophy, the concept of democracy. Many structures, even in politics, were originated from the Greek”. 

Statue of Flying Mercury/Hermes, Villa Medici 

This statue of Flying Mercury, also known as Hermes, located at the Villa Medici, or the Medici House, depicts Hermes, the son of Zeus and Maia (the daughter of Atlas). In Greek mythology, Hermes was the messenger of the gods, promoting social communication and commerce among humanity, maintaining peace, protecting travelers, and punishing those who refused to assist travelers. In the form of Hermes, this character carries what is called a caduceus, which is a wand with two serpents twisted around it, as a symbol of peace, which is depicted in this statue at Villa Medici. 

In Roman mythology, Hermes was renamed Mercury, and was known as the divinity of commerce, merchants, trades, and gain. In the Roman version of the character, the symbol of peace carried is a sacred branch such as an olive branch. There is a connection in the etymology (word origin) of Mercury and merchant, with merx meaning goods, and mercari meaning to trade. 

Group of the Niobids, Villa Medici

These statues of The Group of The Niobids, located at Villa Medici, or the Medici House, represents the mythological story of the twelve children (six sons and six daughters) of Niobe, who was married to Amphion, the king of Thebes. Because of Niobe’s amount of children, she presumed herself to be a better mother than Leto, whose children were Apollo and Artemis. Apollo and Artemis were upset with the excessive pride of Niobe, so they killed all of Niobe’s children, and the children as well as Niobe herself were turned to stone. Niobe, still living when she was turned to stone, eternally feels the misfortune of this situation. 

The metaphorical moral involved in this story showcases the negative impacts of hybris, the Greek term for exaggerated self pride and arrogance.   

(If you look closely at the bottom right corner of this photo, you can see the peacock that roams around the property of Villa Medici!)

Minerva & Athena: Piazza della Minerva & Athena, Musei Centrale Montemartini

   

On the right is a photo of the central obelisk atop an elephant of the Piazza della Minerva in Rome. On the left is a statue of Athena from Musei Centrale Montemartini, or the Montemartini Museum, depicted in her usual attire: a helmet, a robe, and an amulet. Minerva is the Roman version of the Greek goddess Athena, who was the daughter of Zeus and the sea-nymph Metis. 

Minerva/Athena is primarily known as the goddess of wisdom and war strategy, yet is also the goddess of many other skills and arts, such as handicraft, sewing, weaving, spinning, pottery, cooking, rational thinking, giving good advice, as well as behaving heroically. Minerva/Athena is also known as the protector of agriculture, who invented the plow, the rake, and the action of taming animals. She also has skills in music, and invented the ancient wind instrument similar to flutes or recorders called an aulos. 

I hope you all learned something new and interesting from this post! Are you interested in mythology? If so, do you have a favorite mythological character? Do you like reading historical stories?