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The Flavians, AD 68–96

The imperial cult and the deification of the Flavians

  • 2 things to know
  • Component Group 2

Overview

Recall questions on the imperial cult and the convention against worshipping a living emperor at Rome, the consecration of Vespasian and his deathbed joke, the deification of Titus and Julia, the temple of the Flavian family, Domitian as lord and god, the provincial cult and the Flavian temple at Ephesus, Domitian's refused consecration, and why the cult mattered to the dynasty.

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Key term

Describe the form the imperial cult took in the provinces under the Flavians.

Key term

Define the imperial cult.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define the imperial cult.

    Model answer

    The worship of the emperor and his family with temples, priests, altars, sacrifices and festivals, offered to the deified dead at Rome and, in the provinces, to the living ruler together with the goddess Roma.

  2. 2

    What was the convention at Rome about worshipping a living emperor?

    Model answer

    He was not to be a god in the city during his lifetime; his guardian spirit could be honoured and oaths sworn by it, and divine status came only after death by a vote of the Senate.

  3. 3

    Explain how Vespasian was consecrated.

    Model answer

    The Senate voted him divine honours after his death in AD 79, coins proclaimed the deified Vespasian, and a temple to him was begun in the Forum.

  4. 4

    What did Vespasian's deathbed joke reveal about consecration?

    Model answer

    By saying that he supposed he was turning into a god, he acknowledged that deification was a political decision taken by the living rather than a religious fact.

  5. 5

    What did Domitian do for the memory of his brother?

    Model answer

    He had Titus consecrated, completed the Forum temple as a shrine to both deified Flavians, and had Titus' ascent to heaven carved on the arch commemorating him.

  6. 6

    Which woman of the Flavian house did Domitian have deified?

    Model answer

    Julia, the daughter of Titus, who then appeared as a goddess on the coinage.

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