Pietas was important to the Roman Society because most of the people’s lives revolved around it. Pietas to the Romans signified dutifulness to religion, social, and political aspects that included the ideas of devotion and patriotism to others. Thus, the Romans were obliged to show respect and proper behavior towards their families, country, and also to the gods. As such, the revered nature of the virtue was demonstrated by the godly incarnation of pietas, a goddess that was pictured on the Roman coins.
In ancient times, Roman religion played a huge part in everyday life, and the Romans honored their gods. They would always rely on them when making important decisions. Roman religion had one main purpose, which destined that they were to remain noble and gain the approval of the deities to ensure success and prosperity to both individuals and family. On the other hand, the Roman father had duties of pietas, which were to offer sacrifices to the household gods at the right time. Romans, in ancient times, used to pray and give their offerings at temples and would only worship gods and spirits that were closely associated with their lives. Also, they used to burn incense in altars as a symbol of appreciation.
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However, ‘pietas’ was important to men in Roman society, especially the fathers who were the heads of the families and had the duty to protect their families. The fathers were regarded with the utmost respect by others in society. Additionally, pietas in Rome was commonly epitomized on coins as a female character holding a palm branch and scepter casting incense on an altar and every so often accompanied by a stork, which was a representation of filial piety (Rawson, 2011). Furthermore, their coins had the symbol of the stork known as the ‘cultivator of pietas’ whereby the Romans held that it portrayed family loyalty by bringing the same nest every year ( Rawson, 2011). Consequently, Romans also assumed that the ‘cultivator of pietas’ looked after their parents and guardians in old age. Thus, family relationships were governed by the principle of pietas, and they concluded that a Roman owed a debt to the pietas, as well as to the family.
Besides, the Romans’ views represented imperial women as pietas since pietas was often described as a goddess on the inverse side of imperial coins as a suitable virtue to be ascribed to them. In ancient Rome, ‘pietas’ was denoted on the coin by unusual objects where a woman was offering a sacrifice of fire at a shrine. It was believed that libation was the only important act that symbolized pietas in the allusion of sacrifice. Subsequently, political ‘pietas’ was found on the images of coins that represented the people whose images were drawn on them. ‘Pietas’ was first represented on Roman coins that were issued by Herennius, who was the consul of the Roman Republic.
In conclusion, Romans supposed that ‘pietas’ was the divine presence that warned humans no to interfere with the realm of the gods (Rawson, 2011). Romans also presumed that if the virtues of ‘pietas’ were violated, then it would require expiatory rights in order for the gods to forgive. Although the concept of pietas was applicable to all Roman citizens, it was essential to males because they were regarded with the utmost respect and valued to the greatest extent possible. In ancient Roman, ‘pietas’ was portrayed as images on the coins whereby imperial women were mostly depicted as goddesses. Finally, Romans believed that religion was an important part of their society and that it was one of the main foundations on which the organization of the Roman empire was built.
References
Rawson, B. (Ed.). (2011). A companion to families in the Greek and Roman worlds . Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
