Mater Matuta

Mother goddess seated in a wicker chair and nursing an infant, sometimes identified as Mater Matuta (Roman Britain, 2nd century AD)

Mater Matuta was an indigenous Latin goddess, whom the Romans eventually made equivalent to the dawn goddess Aurora, and the Greek goddess Eos. Her cult is attested several places in Latium; her most famous temple was located at Satricum. In Rome she had a temple on the north side of the Forum Boarium, allegedly built by Servius Tullius, destroyed in 506 B.C., and rebuilt by Marcus Furius Camillus in 396 B.C.,[1] and she was also associated with the sea harbors and ports, where there were other temples to her.

Another remarkable place of worship was located in Campania region, outside of the modern Capua. Dozens of ritual statues representing matres matutae were found in the so-called "fondo Patturelli" (a private land property) during excavation campaigns in the 19th century. A huge collection of these is hosted in the Museo Campano, Capua.

Matralia

At Rome her festival was the Matralia, celebrated on June 11 in her temple at the Forum Boarium. The festival was only for single women or women in their first marriage, who offered prayers for their nephews and nieces, and then drove a slave out of the temple.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita Libri, V, 14
  • Wikisource Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mater Matuta". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  • Media related to Mater Matuta at Wikimedia Commons
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