What were the Lares in ancient Roman religion, and what was their perceived role?

Lares were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion, whose exact origin is uncertain but they may have been hero-ancestors, or guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or a combination of these roles. They were believed to observe, protect, and influence all events within their specific location or function.

How were domestic Lares honored during family meals and important events in ancient Rome?

Statues of domestic Lares were customarily placed at the table during family meals, signifying their presence and blessing. Their cult and presence were considered essential for all significant family events, such as marriages, births, and adoptions.

How did Roman writers sometimes categorize or associate the Lares with other deities?

Roman writers occasionally identified or conflated the Lares with ancestor-deities, domestic Penates (household gods), and the hearth, highlighting their protective and familial associations within Roman religious beliefs.

Beyond household protection, what broader domains did some Lares oversee?

While often categorized as household gods, some Lares had much broader domains, extending their protection to roadways, seaways, agriculture, livestock, towns, cities, the state, and its military, each under the care of a specific Lar or group of Lares.

Where were the Lares who protected local neighborhoods housed, and what was the significance of these locations?

The Lares who protected local neighborhoods, known as *vici*, were housed in crossroad shrines called *Compitalia*. These shrines served as a central focus for the religious, social, and political lives of their local communities, which were predominantly composed of plebeians.

What does archaeological and literary evidence suggest about the importance of Lares in Roman life?

Despite having a limited scope and potency compared to Rome's major deities, archaeological and literary evidence confirms the central role of Lares in Roman identity and religious life. For instance, a Roman returning home could be described as returning *ad Larem*, meaning 'to the Lar'.

How long did unofficial cults to Lares persist despite official bans on non-Christian religions?

Unofficial cults to Lares continued to persist until at least the early fifth century AD, even after official bans on non-Christian cults were instituted from the late fourth century AD onwards.

What does the early first century AD Lar holding a cornucopia from Axatiana (now Lora del Rio) in Roman Spain illustrate?

The source material references an early first century AD Lar holding a cornucopia from Axatiana, which is now Lora del Rio in Roman Spain, and is housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain. This depiction highlights the Lares' association with abundance and prosperity.

What connection did archaic Rome's Etruscan neighbors have with the cult of Lares?

Archaic Rome's Etruscan neighbors practiced domestic, ancestral, or family cults that were very similar to those later offered by Romans to their Lares, suggesting a shared or influential religious tradition.

From what language and word does the term 'Lar' or 'Lares' seem to derive?

The word 'Lar' or 'Lares' appears to derive from the Etruscan words *lar*, *lars*, or *larth*, which translate to 'lord'.

How did ancient Greek and Roman authors translate or interpret the term 'Lares'?

Ancient Greek and Roman authors often translated or interpreted 'Lares' as 'heroes' and '*daimones*', indicating a perception of them as semi-divine or ancestral spirits.

How did the early Roman playwright Plautus use a *Lar Familiaris* in his comedies?

The early Roman playwright Plautus, around 254–184 BC, used a *Lar Familiaris* as a guardian of treasure on behalf of a family, serving a similar plot function to how the Greek playwright Menander used a *heroon* (an ancestral hero-shrine).

What did Weinstock propose regarding the ancient equivalence of Lar and Greek hero?

Weinstock proposed a more ancient equivalence between the Lar and the Greek *hero*, basing this on a fourth-century BC Latin dedication to the Roman ancestor-hero Aeneas, which referred to him as *Lare* (Lar).

What does the bronze statuette of a dancing Lar from Campania, 1st century AD, depict?

The source material describes a bronze statuette of a dancing Lar, likely from Campania and dating to the 1st century AD, which is housed in the Gäubodenmuseum in Straubing. This statuette shows the Lar holding a *rhyton* (a drinking horn) and a *patera* (a shallow libation dish), illustrating typical iconography.

When do the earliest physical images of Lares survive from, and what do literary references suggest about their number?

No physical images of Lares survive from before the Late Republican era. However, literary references, such as those by Plautus, suggest that cult could be offered to a single Lar, and sometimes to many more, possibly even 30 in the case of the *Lares Grundules*.

How did the representation of Lares evolve by the early Imperial era?

By the early Imperial era, Lares had evolved into paired divinities, likely influenced by Greek religion, particularly the heroic twin Dioscuri, and the iconography of Rome's semi-divine founder-twins, Romulus and Remus.

What were the typical physical characteristics and attire of Lares in their representations?

Lares were typically represented as two small, youthful, and lively male figures. They were clad in short, rustic, girdled tunics, which Plutarch claimed were made of dogskin. They were often depicted in a dancer's attitude, balanced on one leg or tiptoed.

What objects did Lares commonly hold in their artistic depictions?

In artistic depictions, one arm of a Lar figure would typically raise a drinking horn (*rhyton*) as if offering a toast or libation, while the other arm bore a shallow libation dish (*patera*).

How were Lares often arranged in painted shrine-images of the Imperial period?

Painted shrine-images of paired Lares from the Imperial period often showed them in mirrored poses, positioned to the left and right of a central figure, which was understood to be an ancestral *genius*.

What does the inscription to the *Lares Viales* signify?

The inscription to the *Lares Viales* indicates that these specific Lares were the guardians of roads and those who traveled them, highlighting their protective role over public thoroughfares.

What were the *Lares Augusti*, and when were they given public cult?

The *Lares Augusti* were either the Lares of Augustus or 'the august Lares,' and they were given public cult on the first of August. This date identified them with the inaugural day of Imperial Roman magistracies and with Augustus himself.

What was the duration of the official cult to the *Lares Augusti*?

The official cult to the *Lares Augusti* continued from their institution through to the 4th century AD.

With which other Lares were the *Lares Augusti* identified during Augustan religious reform?

During Augustan religious reform, the *Lares Augusti* were identified with the *Lares Compitalicii* and *Lares Praestites*.

Who were the *Lares Compitalicii*, and how were they celebrated?

The *Lares Compitalicii* (also known as *Lares Compitales*) were the Lares of local communities or neighborhoods (*vici*). They were celebrated at the *Compitalia* festival, which was held at their shrines, typically located at main central crossroads (*compites*) of their *vici*.

What was the relationship between *Lares Compitalicii* and *Lares Augusti*?

The *Lares Compitalicii* were synonymous with the *Lares Augusti* following Augustan reform. However, Augustus' institution of cult to the *Lares Praestites* was also held at the same *Compitalia* shrines but on a different date, suggesting distinct but related observances.

What was the function of *Lares Domestici* and *Lares Familiares*?

The *Lares Domestici* were the Lares of the house, and they were probably identical with the *Lares Familiares*, who were the Lares of the family, both serving as protective deities for the household.

What was the significance of the sow's body in the myth of the *Lares Grundules*?

According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the place where the sow bore the piglets and Aeneas made the sacrifice was sacred and forbidden to foreigners. The sow's body itself was said to be preserved in salt brine at Lavinium as a sacred object.

Who was *Lar Militaris*, and with which deities was he grouped?

*Lar Militaris*, meaning 'military Lar,' was named by Marcianus Capella as a member of two distinct cult groupings that included Mars, Jupiter, and other major Roman deities, suggesting a protective role for the military.

What was the role of the *Lares Permarini*?

The *Lares Permarini* were deities who protected seafarers, and a temple was dedicated to them, with one known example located at Rome's *Campus Martius*.

Who were the *Lares Praestites*, and where were they housed?

The *Lares Praestites* were the Lares of the city of Rome, and later of the Roman state or community. Literally meaning 'the Lares who stand before,' as guardians or watchmen, they were housed in the state *Regia*, near the temple of Vesta, and were associated with Vesta's worship and sacred hearth, protecting Rome from destructive fire.

How did Augustus's personal association influence the *Lares Praestites*?

Augustus, who owned a house between the Temple of Vesta and the Regia, may have considered the *Lares Praestites* as his neighborhood Lares. His later donation of this house and the care of its Lares to the Vestals strengthened the religious ties between his household's Lares, his neighborhood, and the Roman State.

What was the function of the *Lares Rurales*?

The *Lares Rurales* were the Lares of the fields, identified by Tibullus as *custodes agri*, meaning 'guardians of the fields,' indicating their role in protecting agricultural lands.

What was the purpose of the *Lararium* in Roman households?

By the early Imperial period, household shrines were generically known as *lararia* because they typically contained one or two Lares figures. These shrines also housed images of the household's *penates*, *genius*, and other favored deities, serving as a religious hub for family life.

What animal was sometimes sacrificed to Lares on important occasions?

On important occasions, wealthier households might offer a pig to their Lares. A single source also describes Romulus's offering of an altar and sacrifice to *Lares Grundules* after a sow produced 30 piglets, with Taylor conjecturing the sacrifice of a pig, possibly a pregnant sow.

What does the fresco in Pompeii depicting two lares with *rhyton* and *situla* illustrate?

The source material mentions a fresco in Pompeii that depicts two Lares, each holding a *rhyton* (a drinking horn) and a *situla* (a bucket-like vessel), alongside a *genius* offering at an altar, a flute-player, and servants. This imagery provides insight into the ritualistic practices and figures associated with Lares worship.

What do painted *lararia* from Pompeii typically show in terms of figures and symbolism?

Painted *lararia* from Pompeii commonly depict two Lares flanking a *genius* or ancestor-figure, who is shown wearing a toga in the priestly manner for sacrificers. Below this trio, a serpent, symbolizing the fertility of fields or generative power, winds towards an altar, surrounded by depictions of sacrificial essentials like bowls, knives, incense boxes, and libation vessels.

Where were *lararia* typically found in households of varying wealth?

In households of modest means, small Lar statuettes were placed in wall-niches, sometimes with just a tile-support against a painted background. In wealthier households, *lararia* tended to be located in servants' quarters and working areas, though some were also in more public parts of the house.

How did the *lararium* at the House of Menander in Pompeii reflect its association with servants and agriculture?

At the House of Menander in Pompeii, the Lares and *lararium* were situated in the servant quarters and adjacent agricultural estate. The statuary found there was unsophisticated and rustic, suggesting that the *paterfamilias* delegated this religious task to his *villicus* (bailiff).

What was the significance of placing Lares in public or semi-public parts of a Roman house?

Placing Lares in the public or semi-public areas of a house, such as the *atrium*, integrated them into the more outward and theatrical functions of household religion, making them visible to guests and clients.

How did the two *lararia* in the House of the Vettii in Pompeii serve different functions?

The House of the Vettii in Pompeii featured two *lararia*: one was kept out of public view, likely for private household rites, while the other was prominently displayed front-of-house amidst mythological wall-paintings and statuary of patron divinities. This public *lararium* served as a backdrop for formal greetings (*salutationes*) between the owners and their clients.

What personal items were deposited in domestic *lararia* as symbols of family change and continuity?

Domestic *lararia* served as sacred depositories for symbols of family transitions. Boys, upon coming of age, would give their personal amulet (*bulla*) to their Lares before donning their manly toga. A man's first ritually cut beard was also placed in their keeping. Girls, on the night before their wedding, surrendered their dolls, soft balls, and breastbands to their family Lares.

How did a Roman girl transfer her allegiance to her husband's Lares upon marriage?

On the day of her marriage, a Roman girl would transfer her allegiance to her husband's neighborhood Lares (*Lares Compitalici*) by paying them a copper coin while en route to her new home. She would then pay another coin to her new domestic Lares and one to her husband.

What was the *Compitalia* festival, and when was it celebrated?

The *Compitalia* festival was a celebration of the communal Lares (*Lares Compitalicii*) of Rome's administrative districts or wards (*vici*). It was held just after the *Saturnalia*, which marked the close of the old year.

What ritual was central to the *Compitalia* festival?

During the 'solemn and sumptuous' rites of *Compitalia*, a pig was led in a celebratory procession through the streets of the *vicus* and then sacrificed to the Lares at their *Compitalia* shrine.

What offerings were traditionally made to the *Lares Compitalicii*?

Cult offerings to the *Lares Compitalicii* were similar to those made to domestic Lares. In the late Republican era, Dionysius of Halicarnassus noted the ancient tradition of each household contributing a honey-cake.

Who was credited with inventing the *Compitalia* festival, and what were his origins?

The *Compitalia* festival was explained as an invention of Rome's sixth king, Servius Tullius. He was said to have servile origins and favored plebeians and slaves, and was believed to have been fathered by a Lar or another divine being on a royal slave-girl.

What social aspect characterized the *Compitalia* festival?

The *Compitalia* festival had a distinctly plebeian ambiance, similar to the *Saturnalia*'s reversal of the status quo. It was traditionally served by men of very low legal and social status, including freedmen and slaves, who were otherwise excluded from most administrative and religious offices.

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What are Lares?

Roman Guardian Deities

The Lares (singular: Lar) were a class of guardian deities central to ancient Roman religion. Their precise origins remain somewhat ambiguous, possibly stemming from hero-ancestors, protectors of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or even embodying fruitfulness. They represent a complex amalgamation of these protective roles.

Omnipresent Protectors

These deities were believed to perpetually observe, safeguard, and influence all activities occurring within their designated physical boundaries or functional domains. For instance, statues of domestic Lares were customarily placed on the table during family meals, signifying their essential presence and blessing at all significant household events.

Conflated Identities

Roman literary sources occasionally identify or conflate the Lares with other significant figures in Roman religious life, such as ancestor-deities, the domestic Penates (household gods of the pantry), and the sacred hearth itself. This intertwining highlights their fundamental role in the spiritual fabric of Roman society.

Origins & Evolution

Etruscan Roots

The cult of the Lares appears to have deep roots in archaic Rome's Etruscan neighbors, who practiced domestic, ancestral, or family cults strikingly similar to those later offered by Romans. The term "Lar" itself likely derives from Etruscan words like lar, lars, or larth, meaning 'lord'.

Early Depictions & Forms

While no physical images of Lares survive from before the Late Republican era, early literary references suggest that cult could be offered to a single Lar, or sometimes many. By the early Imperial era, they frequently appeared as paired divinities, possibly influenced by Greek religion (e.g., the Dioscuri) and the iconography of Rome's founder-twins, Romulus and Remus.

Iconic Representation

Lares are typically depicted as two small, youthful, and vibrant male figures. They are clad in short, rustic, girdled tunics, sometimes described as made of dogskin. They strike a dancer's pose, often tiptoed or lightly balanced on one leg, with one arm raising a drinking horn (rhyton) for libation and the other bearing a shallow libation dish (patera).

Diverse Domains

Lares Augusti

These were the Lares associated with Emperor Augustus, or perhaps "the august Lares." They received public cult on August 1st, linking them to the inaugural day of Imperial Roman magistracies and Augustus himself. This cult persisted into the 4th century AD and was identified with the Lares Compitalicii and Lares Praestites of Augustan religious reforms.

Lares Compitalicii

The Lares of local communities or neighborhoods (vici), celebrated during the Compitalia festival. Their shrines were typically located at central crossroads (compites) within their vici, serving as a focal point for the religious and social life of these communities, particularly for plebeians and slaves.

Lares Domestici & Familiares

These terms likely refer to the same deities: the Lares of the house and family. They were integral to the daily life and well-being of Roman households, ensuring protection and prosperity for the family unit.

Lares Grundules

Known as the "grunting Lares" or Lares of the eaves, these were supposedly given an altar and cult by Romulus or Aeneas after a sow produced an extraordinary litter of 30 piglets. This event provided theological justification for various Roman institutions, such as the 30 populi Albenses and the 30 curiae of Rome.

Lar Militaris

The "military Lar," mentioned by Marcianus Capella as part of cult groupings alongside major Roman deities like Mars and Jupiter. This suggests a protective role extending to military affairs.

Lares Patrii

These were the Lares "of the fathers," possibly equivalent to the dii patrii (deified ancestors) who received cult during the Parentalia festival, emphasizing their connection to ancestral veneration.

Lares Permarini

These Lares were specifically invoked to protect seafarers. A temple dedicated to them was known to exist in Rome's Campus Martius, highlighting their importance for maritime activities.

Lares Praestites

The Lares of the city of Rome, later extending to the Roman state or community. Literally meaning "Lares who stand before," they acted as guardians or watchmen. They were housed in the state Regia, near the Temple of Vesta, and were associated with protecting Rome from destructive fires.

Lares Rurales

Identified by Tibullus as custodes agri, the "guardians of the fields." These Lares protected agricultural lands, reflecting the agrarian foundations of Roman society.

Lares Viales

These Lares were the protectors of roads (viae) and all those who traveled upon them, ensuring safe passage for Roman citizens.

Domestic Cult

Household Shrines

Traditional Roman households maintained at least one protective Lar figure, typically housed in a shrine alongside images of the household's penates, the genius image, and other favored deities. These statues were brought to the table during family meals and banquets, serving as divine witnesses to important family events such as marriages, births, and adoptions.

Offerings & Devotion

Care and cult attendance for domestic Lares involved offerings of spelt wheat, grain-garlands, honey cakes, honeycombs, grapes, first fruits, wine, and incense. Any food that fell to the floor during household banquets was also considered theirs. Wealthier households might offer a pig on significant occasions, such as the unique sacrifice to the Lares Grundules after a prodigious farrowing.

Family Responsibility

The ultimate responsibility for household cult and the moral conduct of family members rested with the paterfamilias, the head of the family. However, he could, and often did, delegate the care of his Lares to other family members, particularly his servants, especially during festivals like Compitalia.

Lararia: The Shrines

By the early Imperial period, household shrines were generically known as lararia (singular: lararium) because they typically contained one or two Lar figures. Painted lararia from Pompeii often depict two Lares flanking a central genius or ancestor figure, who is shown in the priestly manner of a sacrificer. Below this trio, a serpent, symbolizing fertility and prosperity, winds towards an altar laden with offerings. These shrines were not just religious spaces but also repositories for symbols of family change and continuity.

Coming-of-Age: A boy would dedicate his personal amulet (bulla) to his Lares before donning his manly toga (toga virilis). His first ritually cut beard was also placed in their keeping.
Marriage: A Roman girl would surrender her childhood dolls and other toys to her family Lares the night before her wedding. On her wedding day, she would pay a copper coin to her husband's neighborhood Lares (Lares Compitalicii) and another to her new domestic Lares, signifying her transfer of allegiance.

Compitalia Festival

Neighborhood Celebrations

The city of Rome was protected by its own Lar or Lares, housed in a shrine on the city's ancient, sacred boundary. Each Roman vicus (administrative district) had its communal Lares, the Lares Compitalicii, housed in permanent shrines at central crossroads (compites). These were celebrated at the Compitalia festival, held just after the Saturnalia, marking the close of the old year.

Rites & Offerings

The Compitalia involved "solemn and sumptuous" rites, including a celebratory procession where a pig was led through the streets of the vicus and then sacrificed to the Lares at their shrine. Offerings were similar to those for domestic Lares, with Dionysius of Halicarnassus noting the ancient tradition of a honey-cake contribution from each household.

Plebeian & Servile Character

The Compitalia festival possessed a distinct plebeian ambiance, partly due to its traditional association with Servius Tullius, Rome's sixth king, who was said to have servile origins. Tradition dictated that the Lares Compitalicii be served by individuals of low legal and social status—freedmen and slaves—who were otherwise excluded from most administrative and religious offices. This practice, as Dionysius explains, aimed to soften the severity of their condition and make them more agreeable to their masters.

Imperial Integration

As princeps, Augustus reformed the Compitalia and subdivided the vici. From 7 BC, a Lares' festival on May 1st was dedicated to the Lares Augusti, and a new celebration of the Genius Augusti was held on August 1st. Statues representing the Genius Augusti were integrated into the Compitalia shrines, making the reformed festival a local, "street-level" aspect of the imperial cult. These reforms were genuinely popular, valuing the traditions of the Roman masses and securing their political, social, and religious support.

Myths & Theology

Mater Larum

From the Late Republican and early Imperial eras, priestly records and commentaries attest to a "Mother of the Lares" (Mater Larum). She is invoked in the Arval Hymn and identified as Mania by Varro, who considered her an originally Sabine deity. Macrobius later described woolen figurines hung at Compitalia shrines as maniae, possibly as substitutes for child sacrifices to the Mater Larum.

Lara, Muta, Dea Tacita

Ovid provides an origin myth for the Mater Larum as Lara, a once-loquacious nymph whose tongue was cut out as punishment for betraying Jupiter's secrets. She became Muta (the speechless one) and, after being impregnated by Mercury en route to the underworld, gave birth to twin boys as silent as she. In this context, the Lares can be understood as "manes of silence" (taciti manes), connecting them to the underworld and the departed.

Servius Tullius's Legend

Plutarch recounts a legend of Servius Tullius, Rome's sixth king, whose virginal slave mother was impregnated by a phallus-apparition from the hearth. This divine being was considered a major deity or ancestor-hero by some, and a Lar by others. This story connects the Lares to the hearth, generative powers, divine ancestry, and the coupling of the divine with the servile, reinforcing their role in popular cults.

Evolving Interpretations

Without a rigid, systematic theology, the Lares evolved into a nebulous but versatile type of deity with many functions. Cicero linked their domestic presence to moral claims of ownership. Festus identified them as "gods of the underworld" (di inferi), while Flaccus saw them as ancestral genii. Apuleius considered them benevolent ancestral spirits, distinct from the malicious lemures. Even in the 4th century AD, the Christian polemicist Arnobius, citing Varro, categorized them as once-human spirits of the underworld, "gods of the air," and even frightful larvae. Despite official bans on non-Christian cults, unofficial veneration of Lares persisted into the early 5th century AD, demonstrating their remarkable persistence in Roman identity and religious life.

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References

Keightley, Thomas. The Mythology of Ancient Greece and Italy, p. 543. Whittaker & Co. (London), 1838.

Varro De Re Rustica II 4, 18: "Et corpus matris a sacerdotibus, quod in salsura fuerit, demonstratur."

B. Liou-Gille "Naissance de la ligue latine. Mythe et culte de fondation" Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire 74 1996 1 p. 80-83.

Tibullus, 1, 1, 19â24. See also Cicero, De Legibus, 2. 19, for reference to Lares as field-deities.

The "proper occasions" included the household's participation in the Compitalia festival. Clear evidence is otherwise lacking for the executive roles of subservient household members in household cults.

Allison, P., 2006, The Insula of Menander at Pompeii, Vol.III, The Finds; A Contextual Study Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Kaufmann-Heinimann, in RÃ¼pke (ed), 200: in some cases, the artistic display of the lararium seems to displace its religious function.

Clarke, 9â10; citing Propertius, 4.1.131-2 & Persius, The Satires, 5.30-1.

Lott, 31: Dionysius claims the Compitalia contribution of honey-cakes as an institution of Servius Tullius.

Dionysius understands the function of the Lar as equivalent to that of a Greek hero; an ancestral spirit, protector of a place and its people, possessed of both mortal and divine characteristics.

Duncan Fishwick, The Imperial Cult in the Latin West: Studies in the Ruler Cult of the Western Provinces of the Roman Empire, volume 1, Brill Publishers, 1991, pp. 82â83.

Their shrine is named as Stata Mater, probably after a nearby statue of that goddess.

In the late 2nd century AD, Festus cites mania as a name used by nursemaids to terrify children.

Taylor, 301: citing "Mania" in Varro, Lingua Latina, 9, 61; "Larunda" in Arnobius, 3, 41; "Lara" in Ovid, Fasti II, 571 ff: Macrobius, Saturnalia, 1, 7, 34â35; Festus, p115 L.

Cicero, de Domo sua, 108â109, for the domestic presence of the Lares and Penates as an indication of ownership.

Bowersock, Brown, Grabar et al., Late antiquity: a guide to the postclassical world, Belknap Press, Harvard University Press Reference Library, 1999, p. 27, citing Tertullian, Ad Uxorem, 6.1.

Rutilius Namatianus, de Reditu suo, 290: Latin text at Thayer's website [4] (accessed 6 January 2010)

A full list of references for this article are available at the Lares Wikipedia page

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Echoes of Antiquity: The Lares

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What are Lares? ℹ️

🛡️ Roman Guardian Deities

👁️ Omnipresent Protectors

🔗 Conflated Identities

Origins & Evolution 📜

🏺 Etruscan Roots

🎭 Early Depictions & Forms

🕺 Iconic Representation

Diverse Domains 🗺️

👑 Lares Augusti

🏘️ Lares Compitalicii

🏡 Lares Domestici & Familiares

🐖 Lares Grundules

⚔️ Lar Militaris

ancestral Lares Patrii

🌊 Lares Permarini

🏙️ Lares Praestites

🌾 Lares Rurales

🛣️ Lares Viales

Domestic Cult 🏠

🏺 Household Shrines

🍎 Offerings & Devotion

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Responsibility

🖼️ Lararia: The Shrines

Compitalia Festival 🎉

crossroads Neighborhood Celebrations

🐷 Rites & Offerings

🤝 Plebeian & Servile Character

🏛️ Imperial Integration

Myths & Theology ✨

🌌 Mater Larum

🤫 Lara, Muta, Dea Tacita

🔥 Servius Tullius's Legend

🔄 Evolving Interpretations

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📜 Important Notice

Dive in with Flashcard Learning!

What are Lares?

Roman Guardian Deities

Omnipresent Protectors

Conflated Identities

Origins & Evolution

Etruscan Roots

Early Depictions & Forms

Iconic Representation

Diverse Domains

Lares Augusti

Lares Compitalicii

Lares Domestici & Familiares

Lares Grundules

Lar Militaris

Lares Patrii

Lares Permarini

Lares Praestites

Lares Rurales

Lares Viales

Domestic Cult

Household Shrines

Offerings & Devotion

Family Responsibility

Lararia: The Shrines

Compitalia Festival

Neighborhood Celebrations

Rites & Offerings

Plebeian & Servile Character

Imperial Integration

Myths & Theology

Mater Larum

Lara, Muta, Dea Tacita

Servius Tullius's Legend

Evolving Interpretations

Teacher's Corner

True or False?

Test Your Knowledge!

Gamer's Corner

Discover other topics to study!

References

Feedback & Support

Disclaimer

Important Notice