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 p258  Honos et Virtus

Articles on pp258‑260 of

Samuel Ball Platner (as completed and revised by Thomas Ashby):
A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome,
London: Oxford University Press, 1929.


Honos et Virtus, Aedes: (templum Cic.; ναὸς Δόξης καὶ Ἀρετῆς Plut.), a double temple, of which the original part was built by Q. Fabius Maximus Verrucosus in 234 B.C. after his war with the Ligurians, and dedicated to Honos (Cic. de nat. deor. II.61) on 17th July (Fast. Ant. ap. NS 1921, 102). In 222 B.C., after the battle of Clastidium, M. Claudius Marcellus vowed a temple to Honos et Virtus, a vow which he renewed after the capture of Syracuse, and which he attempted to discharge by re-dedicating  p259 the existing temple of Honos to both gods in 208. This was forbidden by the pontiffs, and therefore Marcellus restored the temple of Honos, and built a new part for Virtus, making a double shrine (Sym. Ep. I.20: gemella facie). This was dedicated by his son in 205 (Liv. XXV.40.1‑3; XXVII.25.7‑9; XXIX.11.13; Val. Max. I.1.8; Plut. Marcell. 28). It contained many treasures brought by Marcellus from Syracuse (Cic. de rep. I.21; Verr. IV.121; Liv. XXVI.32.4; Asc. in Pison. 44), a large part of which had disappeared in Livy's time (Liv. XXV.40.3: quorum perexigua pars comparet). It also contained the ancient bronze shrine, supposed to date from the time of Numa, the aedicula Camenarum, which was afterwards placed in the temple of Hercules and the Muses (Serv. Aen. I.8).

This temple was restored by Vespasian and decorated by two Roman artists, Cornelius Pinus and Attius Priscus (Plin. NH XXXV.120).​1 It is last mentioned in the fourth century (Not. Reg. I). It stood ad portam Capenam (Liv. XXV.40.3; XXIX.11.13; Mon. Anc. 2.29), evidently outside the gate but very near to it (Not. Reg. I; Liv. XXVI.32.4: Hiero . . . cum ingrediens Romam in vestibulo urbis prope in porta spolia patriae suae visurus), and probably on the north side of the via Appia; cf. supra, 19.

The statement that Q. Fabius Maximus Rullianus, censor in 304 B.C. when he established the transvectio equitum, caused the procession of equites to start at the temple of Honos et Virtus (de vir. ill. 32), is certainly incorrect in assuming the existence of this temple at that date; nor can its proximity to the temple of Mars extra portam Capenam (q.v.) be inferred from the statement of Dionysius (VI.13.4) that this review of the equites was established in 496 B.C. and began at the temple of Mars (Momms. Staatsr. III.493; RE VI.1806; for the temple and literature, see HJ 202‑203; WR 149‑151; RE VIII.2292‑2293; Rosch. I.2707‑2708; DE III.964).

Honos Et Virtus, Aedes: (Mariana, Vitr., Val. Max.), (templum, Schol. Bob., Cic. pro Sest., Eumenius): a temple built by C. Marius from the spoil taken from the Cimbri and Teutones (CIL I2 p195, n. XVIII; Fest. 344; but cf. JRS 1916, 183). The architect was C. Mucius, whose work on this temple is praised by Vitruvius (VII. praef.17), who also uses this temple to illustrate the proper kind of ambulatio around the cella (III.2.5). According to Festus (344: summissiorem aliis aedem Honoris et Virtutis C. Marius fecit ne si forte officeret auspiciis publicis augures eam demoliri cogerent) it was on the slope of one of the hills, generally assumed to be the Capitoline. In this temple the senate met to vote on the recall of Cicero from exile (Cic. pro Sest. 116; pro Planc. 78; de div. I.59; Val. Max. I.7.5;​2 Schol. Bob. in Cic. pp269, 305 Or.; Eumenius, pro rest.  p260 schol. 7). In these passages the temple is called monumentum Marii, which has led some to identify it with the monumenta Mariana of Valerius Maximus (II.5.6; IV.4.8) (Jord. I.2.44‑45; WR 150; RE VIII.2293; Rosch. I.2708; see Tropaea Marii).


The Authors' Notes:

1 For these names cf. CIL VI.12745, 16239.

2 The text has 'in aede Iovis Mariana,' but this is an error, according to Jordan, who would correct 'Iovis' to 'Honoris,' or omit the word altogether.


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