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Total Categories: 6
Roman writers consistently distinguished Lares from ancestor-deities and domestic Penates, never conflating them.
Answer: False
Roman writers occasionally identified or conflated Lares with ancestor-deities, domestic Penates, and the hearth, indicating a flexible understanding of their roles and relationships.
Archaeological and literary evidence suggests that Lares played a central but limited role in Roman identity and religious life compared to major deities.
Answer: True
Despite their limited scope and potency compared to major deities, Lares held a central role in Roman identity and religious life, as evidenced by the phrase 'ad Larem' meaning 'to the Lar' or 'returning home'.
The term 'Lar' or 'Lares' is believed to derive from an ancient Greek word meaning 'guardian'.
Answer: False
The term 'Lar' or 'Lares' appears to derive from the Etruscan words *lar*, *lars*, or *larth*, which translate to 'lord'.
The *Lares Patrii* were likely equivalent to the *dii patrii*, deified ancestors who received cult during the *Parentalia* festival.
Answer: True
The *Lares Patrii*, or Lares 'of the fathers,' were likely equivalent to the *dii patrii* (deified ancestors) who received cult during the *Parentalia* festival, indicating a connection to ancestral worship.
What was a primary perceived role of the Lares in ancient Roman religion?
Answer: To observe, protect, and influence events within their specific location or function.
Lares were guardian deities believed to observe, protect, and influence all events within their specific location or function, whether it be a household, a road, or the state.
With which other deities or concepts did Roman writers sometimes identify or conflate the Lares?
Answer: Ancestor-deities, domestic Penates, and the hearth.
Roman writers occasionally identified or conflated the Lares with ancestor-deities, domestic Penates (household gods), and the hearth, reflecting their intertwined protective and familial roles.
What does the phrase *ad Larem* signify in Roman identity and religious life?
Answer: Returning home, meaning 'to the Lar'.
The phrase *ad Larem* literally means 'to the Lar' and was used to signify returning home, underscoring the central role of Lares in Roman identity and the concept of home.
From what language and word does the term 'Lar' or 'Lares' appear to derive?
Answer: Etruscan, from *lar* or *lars* meaning 'lord'.
The term 'Lar' or 'Lares' is believed to derive from the Etruscan words *lar*, *lars*, or *larth*, which translate to 'lord'.
Physical images of Lares are abundant from the early Roman Republic, predating the Late Republican era.
Answer: False
No physical images of Lares survive from before the Late Republican era, indicating that their visual representation became more common later in Roman history.
By the early Imperial era, Lares were typically represented as single, elderly, and solemn male figures.
Answer: False
By the early Imperial era, Lares had evolved into paired divinities, often depicted as youthful, lively male figures, clad in short tunics and in a dancer's attitude.
Lares in artistic depictions commonly held a sword and shield, symbolizing their military protection.
Answer: False
In artistic depictions, Lares typically held a *rhyton* (drinking horn) in one arm and a *patera* (libation dish) in the other, symbolizing offerings and blessings rather than military protection.
Painted *lararia* from Pompeii often depict a serpent winding towards an altar, symbolizing the fertility of fields or generative power.
Answer: True
Painted *lararia* from Pompeii commonly feature a serpent winding towards an altar, a symbol understood to represent the fertility of fields or generative power.
How did the representation of Lares evolve by the early Imperial era?
Answer: They evolved into paired divinities, often youthful and lively.
By the early Imperial era, Lares were typically represented as paired, youthful, and lively divinities, influenced by Greek heroic twins and Rome's founder-twins.
What objects did Lares commonly hold in their artistic depictions?
Answer: A *rhyton* (drinking horn) and a *patera* (libation dish).
In artistic depictions, Lares commonly held a *rhyton* (drinking horn) and a *patera* (libation dish), symbolizing their role in receiving offerings and bestowing blessings.
What symbolic figure often appears below the Lares and *genius* in painted *lararia* from Pompeii?
Answer: A serpent, symbolizing fertility or generative power.
Painted *lararia* from Pompeii commonly depict a serpent winding towards an altar below the Lares and *genius*, symbolizing the fertility of fields or generative power.
Statues of domestic Lares were customarily placed at the table during family meals, symbolizing their essential presence.
Answer: True
The presence of domestic Lares was considered essential for all significant family events, and their statues were customarily placed at the table during meals to signify their blessing.
The *Lares Domestici* and *Lares Familiares* served distinct and separate protective functions within the Roman household.
Answer: False
The *Lares Domestici* (Lares of the house) were likely identical with the *Lares Familiares* (Lares of the family), both serving as protective deities for the Roman household.
*Lararia* were exclusively found in the most public parts of wealthy Roman households to display the family's piety.
Answer: False
While some *lararia* were in public parts of wealthy homes, many were located in servants' quarters and working areas, and in modest homes, they were often in wall-niches, indicating varied placement beyond exclusive public display.
Common offerings to domestic Lares included expensive gold and silver ornaments.
Answer: False
Common offerings to domestic Lares included humble items such as spelt wheat, grain-garlands, honey cakes, grapes, first fruits, wine, and incense, not expensive gold and silver ornaments.
A pig was sometimes sacrificed to Lares on important occasions by wealthier Roman households.
Answer: True
Wealthier households might offer a pig to their Lares on important occasions, and a pig was also central to the solemn rites of the *Compitalia* festival.
The *paterfamilias* at the House of Menander in Pompeii personally managed the Lares cult in the public *atrium*.
Answer: False
At the House of Menander, the Lares and *lararium* were situated in the servant quarters and agricultural estate, and the *paterfamilias* likely delegated this religious task to his *villicus* (bailiff) due to the rustic nature of the statuary.
Roman boys would offer their personal amulet (*bulla*) to their Lares upon coming of age, before donning their manly toga.
Answer: True
Domestic *lararia* served as sacred depositories for symbols of family transitions, including the *bulla* that boys would offer to their Lares upon reaching manhood.
A Roman girl transferred her allegiance to her husband's Lares by performing a complex ritual involving a public procession and animal sacrifice.
Answer: False
On her wedding day, a Roman girl transferred her allegiance by paying a copper coin to her husband's neighborhood Lares, then another to his domestic Lares, and one to her husband, a symbolic act rather than a complex public ritual.
How were domestic Lares honored during family meals in ancient Rome?
Answer: Statues of domestic Lares were customarily placed at the table.
Statues of domestic Lares were customarily placed at the table during family meals, signifying their essential presence and blessing for the household.
What was the purpose of the *Lararium* in Roman households?
Answer: A religious hub for family life, housing Lares and other deities.
The *lararium* served as a central religious hub for family life, typically housing figures of Lares, *penates*, *genius*, and other favored deities.
Which of the following was NOT a typical offering made to domestic Lares?
Answer: Large sums of gold coinage.
Typical offerings to domestic Lares included humble items such as spelt wheat, grain-garlands, honey cakes, grapes, first fruits, wine, and incense, not large sums of gold coinage.
What animal was sometimes sacrificed to Lares on important occasions by wealthier households?
Answer: A pig.
Wealthier households might offer a pig to their Lares on important occasions, a practice also seen in the *Compitalia* festival.
In wealthier Roman households, where were *lararia* most commonly located?
Answer: In servants' quarters and working areas, though some were in public parts.
In wealthier households, *lararia* were often found in servants' quarters and working areas, though some were also placed in more public parts of the house to integrate them into household religion.
What personal item would Roman boys give to their Lares upon coming of age?
Answer: Their personal amulet (*bulla*).
Upon coming of age, Roman boys would deposit their personal amulet (*bulla*) in their domestic *lararium* before donning their manly toga, symbolizing a transition in their life stage.
How did a Roman girl transfer her allegiance to her husband's Lares upon marriage?
Answer: By paying a copper coin to her husband's neighborhood Lares.
On her wedding day, a Roman girl would transfer her allegiance by paying a copper coin to her husband's neighborhood Lares (*Lares Compitalici*) while en route to her new home, followed by offerings to her new domestic Lares and husband.
Lares were exclusively guardians of the Roman hearth and had no broader domains of protection.
Answer: False
While often associated with the hearth, Lares also extended their protection to broader domains such as roadways, seaways, agriculture, livestock, towns, cities, the state, and its military.
The Lares who protected local neighborhoods were housed in public temples dedicated to major Roman gods.
Answer: False
The Lares who protected local neighborhoods (*vici*) were housed in crossroad shrines known as *Compitalia*, which served as a central focus for their local communities.
The *Lares Viales* were specifically known as the guardians of public roads and those who traveled them.
Answer: True
Inscriptions to the *Lares Viales* confirm their specific role as guardians of roads and those who traveled them, highlighting their protective function over public thoroughfares.
*Lar Militaris* was a minor household deity, rarely associated with major Roman gods.
Answer: False
*Lar Militaris* was named by Marcianus Capella as a member of cult groupings that included major Roman deities such as Mars and Jupiter, suggesting a significant protective role for the military.
The *Lares Permarini* were responsible for protecting agricultural fields and livestock.
Answer: False
The *Lares Permarini* were deities specifically dedicated to protecting seafarers, not agricultural fields and livestock.
The *Lares Praestites* were housed in the state *Regia* and were associated with Vesta's worship, protecting Rome from destructive fire.
Answer: True
The *Lares Praestites*, as guardians of the city and state, were housed in the state *Regia* near the temple of Vesta and were associated with Vesta's sacred hearth, protecting Rome from fire.
Beyond household protection, which of the following was NOT a broader domain overseen by some Lares?
Answer: The celestial bodies and weather patterns.
While Lares protected roadways, seaways, agriculture, livestock, towns, cities, the state, and its military, there is no evidence they oversaw celestial bodies or weather patterns.
Where were the Lares who protected local neighborhoods (*vici*) housed?
Answer: In crossroad shrines called *Compitalia*.
The Lares who protected local neighborhoods (*vici*) were housed in crossroad shrines known as *Compitalia*, which served as a central point for community religious life.
What was the specific role of the *Lares Viales*?
Answer: Guardians of roads and those who traveled them.
The *Lares Viales* were specifically known as the guardians of roads and those who traveled them, ensuring safe passage for travelers.
Who was *Lar Militaris* grouped with, according to Marcianus Capella?
Answer: Mars, Jupiter, and other major Roman deities.
Marcianus Capella grouped *Lar Militaris* with prominent Roman deities such as Mars and Jupiter, indicating his association with significant military protection.
What was the role of the *Lares Permarini*?
Answer: To protect seafarers.
The *Lares Permarini* were deities specifically dedicated to protecting seafarers, with a temple known to be dedicated to them at Rome's *Campus Martius*.
Where were the *Lares Praestites* housed in Rome?
Answer: In the state *Regia*, near the temple of Vesta.
The *Lares Praestites*, as guardians of the city and state, were housed in the state *Regia*, located near the temple of Vesta, and were associated with Vesta's sacred hearth.
Cult officials for the Lares in local neighborhoods were typically high-ranking Roman senators and magistrates.
Answer: False
Cult officials for the Lares in local neighborhoods were typically freedmen and slaves, individuals often excluded from higher administrative and religious offices.
The *Lares Augusti* were given public cult on the first of September, commemorating a major harvest festival.
Answer: False
The *Lares Augusti* were given public cult on the first of August, a date associated with the inauguration of Imperial Roman magistracies and Augustus's victory at Actium.
The *Lares Compitalicii* were the Lares of local communities and were celebrated at the *Compitalia* festival.
Answer: True
The *Lares Compitalicii* were indeed the Lares of local communities or neighborhoods (*vici*) and were celebrated at the *Compitalia* festival, held at their shrines located at central crossroads.
The *Compitalia* festival was a celebration of the communal Lares of Rome's administrative districts, held just after the *Saturnalia*.
Answer: True
The *Compitalia* festival was indeed a celebration of the communal Lares (*Lares Compitalicii*) of Rome's administrative districts (*vici*), traditionally held just after the *Saturnalia* to mark the close of the old year.
The *Compitalia* festival was traditionally served by high-ranking Roman citizens and priests.
Answer: False
The *Compitalia* festival had a distinctly plebeian ambiance and 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.
Augustus's reforms of *Compitalia* removed the association of community Lares with the imperial cult, making them purely local deities.
Answer: False
Augustus's reforms integrated the community Lares with the imperial cult by associating them with the shared honorific 'Augusti' and inserting *Genius Augusti* statues into the shrines, making them a local aspect of the cult to living emperors.
The *Compitalia* games, which included theatrical performances, were suppressed in 68 BC due to their disorderly nature.
Answer: True
The *Compitalia* games, known for their popular theatrical religious performances and subversive flavor, were indeed suppressed in 68 BC due to their perceived disorderly nature.
The oak-wreath cartouche in dedications to the Augustan Lares symbolized Augustus's role as a military conqueror.
Answer: False
The oak-wreath cartouche in dedications to the Augustan Lares symbolized Augustus's role as 'saviour' of Rome and *pater patriae* (father of the country), indicating that all citizens were under his protection.
The Augustan model for *Compitalia* was short-lived and quickly replaced by new religious reforms.
Answer: False
The Augustan model for *Compitalia* was highly enduring, persisting until the end of the Western Empire with only minor and local modifications.
Who typically served as cult officials for the Lares in local neighborhoods?
Answer: Freedmen and slaves.
Cult officials for the Lares in local neighborhoods were typically freedmen and slaves, reflecting the inclusive nature of these community cults for those often excluded from other public offices.
When were the *Lares Augusti* given public cult?
Answer: On the first of August.
The *Lares Augusti* were given public cult on the first of August, a date chosen to align with the inauguration of Imperial Roman magistracies and Augustus's victory at Actium.
Which specific Lares were synonymous with the *Lares Augusti* following Augustan reform?
Answer: *Lares Compitalicii*.
Following Augustan religious reform, the *Lares Augusti* were identified with the *Lares Compitalicii*, integrating the communal Lares into the imperial cult.
When was the *Compitalia* festival celebrated?
Answer: Just after the *Saturnalia*, marking the close of the old year.
The *Compitalia* festival, celebrating the communal Lares, was held just after the *Saturnalia*, signifying the close of the old year.
Who was credited with inventing the *Compitalia* festival?
Answer: Servius Tullius, Rome's sixth king.
Rome's sixth king, Servius Tullius, who was said to have servile origins and favored plebeians and slaves, was credited with inventing the *Compitalia* festival.
What social aspect characterized the *Compitalia* festival?
Answer: It had a distinctly plebeian ambiance and was served by low-status men.
The *Compitalia* festival was characterized by a distinctly plebeian ambiance and was traditionally served by men of very low legal and social status, including freedmen and slaves.
What did Augustus insert into the *Compitalia* shrines during his reforms?
Answer: Statues representing the *Genius Augusti*.
During his religious reforms, Augustus inserted statues representing the *Genius Augusti* between the Lares figures in the *Compitalia* shrines, linking the communal cult to the imperial cult.
What was the long-term impact of the Augustan model for *Compitalia*?
Answer: It persisted until the end of the Western Empire with minor modifications.
The Augustan model for *Compitalia* proved highly durable, persisting until the end of the Western Empire with only minor and local modifications, demonstrating its successful integration into Roman religious life.
What did the oak-wreath cartouche in dedications to the Augustan Lares symbolize?
Answer: Augustus's role as 'saviour' of Rome and *pater patriae*.
The oak-wreath cartouche, voted to Augustus as 'saviour' of Rome, symbolized his role as *pater patriae* (father of the country), indicating that all citizens were under his protection.
According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, why did the heroes (Lares) look kindly on the service of slaves during *Compitalia*?
Answer: Because removing badges of servitude would soften slaves, making them more agreeable.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus explained that the Lares looked kindly on the service of slaves during *Compitalia* because it was believed that removing badges of servitude would soften slaves, making them more agreeable to their masters and less aware of their condition.
All cults to Lares ceased immediately after official bans on non-Christian religions were instituted in the late fourth century AD.
Answer: False
Unofficial cults to Lares persisted 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.
The early Roman playwright Plautus used a *Lar Familiaris* in his comedies to guard treasure, similar to how Greek playwrights used an ancestral hero-shrine.
Answer: True
Plautus utilized a *Lar Familiaris* in his comedies to serve as a guardian of treasure for a family, mirroring the plot function of a Greek *heroon*.
The myth of the *Lares Grundules* involves a sow producing an extraordinary litter of 30 piglets, leading to the establishment of their cult.
Answer: True
The *Lares Grundules* received an altar and cult after a sow produced an extraordinary litter of 30 piglets, an event that provided a theological justification for the 30 *populi Albenses* and 30 *curiae* of Rome.
Varro identified the Mother of the Lares as Vesta, the goddess of the hearth.
Answer: False
Varro identified the Mother of the Lares as Mania, an originally Sabine deity, not Vesta.
Ovid's myth for the *Mater Larum* describes Lara as a nymph whose tongue was cut out for betraying Jupiter's secrets.
Answer: True
Ovid's origin-myth for the *Mater Larum* recounts Lara, a nymph, having her tongue cut out as punishment for revealing Jupiter's secret amours, leading to her transformation into Muta.
Cicero believed that the possession of domestic Lares was a sign of a family's wealth, not a moral claim to ownership.
Answer: False
Cicero viewed the possession of domestic Lares as laying a moral claim of ownership and belonging to one's domicile, emphasizing their role in establishing a sense of home and property.
Apuleius distinguished Lares as benevolent ancestral spirits from the malicious, vagrant *lemures*.
Answer: True
Apuleius considered Lares to be benevolent ancestral spirits, distinguishing them from the malicious and wandering *lemures*.
The ubiquity of Lares in Roman life facilitated Christian participation in public affairs, as they were seen as neutral deities.
Answer: False
The widespread presence of Lares in Roman life posed significant restraints on Christian participation in public affairs, as noted by Tertullian, due to their association with pagan festivities.
The Arval Hymn invokes the children of the Mother of the Lares with the phrase *enos Lases iuvate*.
Answer: True
The fragmentary opening of the Arval Hymn (*Carmen Arvale*) indeed invokes the children of the Mother of the Lares with the phrase *enos Lases iuvate*, meaning 'Help us, Lares'.
What was the function of a *Lar Familiaris* in the comedies of the early Roman playwright Plautus?
Answer: To serve as a guardian of treasure on behalf of a family.
In Plautus's comedies, a *Lar Familiaris* functioned as a guardian of treasure for a family, a role similar to that of an ancestral hero-shrine in Greek plays.
What was the origin myth associated with the *Lares Grundules*?
Answer: They appeared after a sow produced an extraordinary litter of 30 piglets.
The origin myth of the *Lares Grundules* involves a sow producing an extraordinary litter of 30 piglets, an event that led to the establishment of their cult and provided a theological justification for Roman administrative divisions.
Who did Varro identify as the Mother of the Lares?
Answer: Mania.
Varro identified the Mother of the Lares as Mania, an originally Sabine deity who was later perceived more generally as a bogey or 'evil spirit'.
According to Ovid's myth, what was the punishment Lara received that led to her becoming Muta?
Answer: Her tongue was cut out for betraying Jupiter's secret amours.
Ovid's myth states that Lara's tongue was cut out as punishment for betraying Jupiter's secret amours, leading to her transformation into Muta, the speechless one, and eventually the Mother of the Lares.
What was Cicero's view on the possession of domestic Lares?
Answer: It laid a moral claim of ownership and belonging to one's domicile.
Cicero believed that the possession of domestic Lares established a moral claim of ownership and belonging to one's domicile, highlighting their significance in Roman concepts of home and property.
How did Apuleius distinguish Lares from *lemures*?
Answer: Lares were benevolent ancestral spirits, while *lemures* were malicious and vagrant.
Apuleius considered Lares to be benevolent ancestral spirits, belonging to both the underworld and specific human places, from *lemures*, which he considered malicious and wandering spirits.
What does the phrase *enos Lases iuvate* from the Arval Hymn mean?
Answer: "Help us, Lares."
The phrase *enos Lases iuvate* from the obscure Arval Hymn directly translates to 'Help us, Lares,' invoking the children of the Mother of the Lares.
What was the significance of the sow's body in the myth of the *Lares Grundules*?
Answer: It was preserved in salt brine at Lavinium as a sacred object.
According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the sow's body from the *Lares Grundules* myth was preserved in salt brine at Lavinium as a sacred object, marking the site of Aeneas's sacrifice.