On This Day
46 BC – Julius Caesar dedicates a temple to Venus Genetrix, fulfilling a vow he made at the Battle of Pharsalus.
The Temple of Venus Genetrix (Latin: Templum Veneris Genetricis) is a ruined temple in the Forum of Caesar, Rome, dedicated to the Roman goddess Venus Genetrix, the goddess of motherhood and domesticity. It was dedicated to the goddess in 46 BCE by Julius Caesar.[1]
History
The forum and temple were originally planned as early as 54 BC, and construction began shortly thereafter.[2]
On the eve of the Battle of Pharsalus, Caesar vowed the temple to Venus Victrix. He eventually decided to dedicate the temple to Venus Genetrix, the mother of Aeneas, and the mythical ancestress of the Julian family.[1][2] The Temple was dedicated on 26 September 46 BC, the last day of Caesar’s triumph.[3] The forum and temple were eventually completed by Octavian.
The area was damaged by the fire in 80 AD. Later the temple was rebuilt by Domitian and was restored and rededicated by Trajan on 12 May 113 AD. It was then burned again in 283 AD, and again restored this time by Diocletian. The three columns now visible belong to this later reconstruction.[1] If still in use by the 4th-century, it would have been closed during the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire.
Structure and Location
The temple was built of brick faced with marble and had eight columns (octastyle) on the facade, and also eight columns on each side. The columns were spaced one and a half diameters apart (pycnostyle). The ceiling of the temple was vaulted. There were some nontraditional elements in the design of the temple such as the height of the podium it sat upon and the method of accessing it.
“Access to the cella was afforded by circulation through the flanking arches, up narrow stairs on either side, to a landing in front of the temple, from which several more steps extending the width of the facade conducted to the cella level.”[2]
It was placed at the far end of the court enclosed by the Forum, a practice that was borrowed by the Romans from the Etruscans and which later became a standard architectural feature throughout the Roman Empire.[1] The Temple sat embedded in the remaining slope that had been cleared away from the Capitoline Hill.[3]
Adornment
Frieze-archivatre representing Cupids, from the first order of the cells internal decoration from the Temple of Venus Genetrix in the Forum of Caesar, Trajanic age, 113 AD, Museo dei Fori Imperiali, Rome (8070749843).jpg
Items found inside the Temple include a statue of Venus by Arcesilas as well as statues of Julius Caesar. Numerous Greek paintings by Timomachus of Ajax and Medea, six collections of engraved gems, a breastplate decorated with pearls from Britannia, and a controversial golden statue of Cleopatra as the goddess Isis once filled the Temple.[1]
The Temple was styled in Corinthian order. This included carved mouldings, capitals, and entablature. One of the mouldings, the cyma moulding, has carved dolphins, shells, and tridents. These particular symbols refer to Venus and the sea.[2]
There were three fountain basins: one at the front of the facade and one on either corner of the Temple.
Born On This Day
1876 – Edith Abbott, American economist, social worker, and author (d. 1957)
Edith Abbott (September 26, 1876 – July 28, 1957) was an American economist, social worker, educator, and author. Abbott was born in Grand Island, Nebraska.[1] Edith Abbott was a pioneer in the profession of social work with an educational background in economics. She was a leading activist in social reform with the ideals that humanitarianism needed to be embedded in education.[2] Abbott was also in charge of implementing social work studies to the graduate level. Though she was met with resistance on her work with social reform at the University of Chicago, she ultimately was successful and was elected as the school’s dean in 1924,[3] making her the first female dean in the United States. Abbott was foremost an educator and saw her work as a combination of legal studies and humanitarian work which shows in her social security legislation. She is known as an economist who pursued implementing social work at the graduate level. Her younger sister was Grace Abbott.
Social work will never become a profession—except through the professional schools[4]
The Edith Abbott Memorial Library, in Grand Island, Nebraska, is named after her.
FYI
Jalopnik: This Old Karting Video Is The Most Quaint 1960s British Thing You’ll Ever See; GM Has Lost Over Half A Billion Dollars Because Of The Strike; Here’s All The Good Details And Easter Eggs On The 2020 Jeep Gladiator and more ->
By Chris Thompson, Deadspin: New Orleans Radio Station That Called Its Own Sports Host “A Fag” Refers The Matter To Law Enforcement
Gizmodo Science: Archaeologists Are Learning More About Who and What Lived in This Famous Siberian Cave; Scientists Still Don’t Really Know What Causes Acne; Buying Birth Control Online Can Be Quick, Affordable, and Safe, Study Finds and more ->
By Alethea Kehas, The Light Behind the Story A writing journey to truth & light: Reblogged from Harvesting Hecate; Reblogged from The Silent Eye and more ->
By David, Raptitude: No Moment Can Be Saved For Later
Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings: FROM THE ARCHIVE | Why Love Hurts: The Sociology of How Our Institutions Rather Than Our Personal Psychological Failings Shape the Romantic Agony of Modern Life
Webneel, Daily Inspiration – 1093: Newborn baby photography; Surreal painting by jim warren (19); Creative photo manipulation (6) and more ->
Today’s email was written by Hailey Morey, edited by Annaliese Griffin, and produced by Whet Moser. Quartz: Bird Watching
Today’s email was written by Whet Moser, edited by Annaliese Griffin, and produced by Luiz Romero. Quartz: PLATO: The internet of the 1970s
Open Culture: A New Kurt Vonnegut Museum Opens in Indianapolis … Right in Time for Banned Books Week; Human All Too Human: A Roman Woman Visits the Great Pyramid in 120 AD, and Carves a Poem in Memory of Her Deceased Brother; 20 Years Before John Cage’s 4’33”, a Man Named Hy Cage Created a Cartoon about a Silent Piano Composition (1932); The Proper Way to Eat Ramen: A Meditation from the Classic Japanese Comedy Tampopo (1985)
James Clear: 3 ideas, 2 quotes, 1 question (September 26, 2019)
Twisted Sifter: Oh Good, Boston Dynamics Has Robots Doing Parkour Now; A Truck Driver Recorded His Travels Since 2012 and Mapped the Results; History of Europe: The Populations and Borders of Nations by Year and more->
The Rural Blog: Appeals court blocks FCC relaxation of rules against cross-ownership of newspapers and stations in same market; Newly announced trade deal with Japan would lower or eliminate tariffs on $7 billion in food and ag products; Outdoor recreation sector grew faster than the overall economy in 2017, says Commerce Department report and more ->
By Mark Coddington, NiemanLab: “Glory and honor”: How professional identity shapes the way journalists do their work
Recipes
By In The Kitchen With Matt: Easy Molasses Cookies
By PieBaby89: Extra Fluffy Brioche Cinnamon Roll (Cooking With Children Edition)
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 22 November 22, 2024Picture of the day Sanderling (Calidris alba) looking for food on the beach of Westkapelle, Netherlands
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 21 November 21, 2024Picture of the day This technical illustration shows early hot air balloon designs. The first untethered manned hot air balloon flight was performed by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes on this day in 1783.