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Shrine of Bona Dea

Bona Dea is the Roman goddess of fertility. She antedates Venus (or Aphrodite) in the true Roman religion. She is also the Roman goddess of chastity. She is a prophetic goddess, and is connected to Faunus as his wife, sister or daughter (depending on the source that one consults). She is sometimes called Fauna and sometimes Damia. Angitia, a deity of the Marsii seems to have been the same goddess. Bona Dea is also identified with Cybele, Maia, Ge, Ops, Semele, and Hecate.

Bona Dea possessed a grotto on the northern end of the eastern part of the Aventine on which a temple was erected which was dedicated to her. The temple was located beneath an overhanging rock. Bona Dea was a goddess of healing, and healing herbs and other medicaments were for sale to the women of Rome at her temple. Sacred serpents resided in the shrine and were allowed to wander freely about the sanctuary. (The serpent was considered to be a symbol of healing, as on the caduceus.) Although sick women were tended in her temple garden, no men were permitted near the temple precincts.

The worship of Bona Dea was restricted to women. Even knowledge of her names was withheld from men. Any contact with men at her ceremonies was considered a serious sacrilege. This rule was so strict, that male animals and even images of men or male animals were forbidden. Roman women held two rituals in honor of Bona Dea annually.

Bona Dia's festival occurred on the Kalends of May at which time a public ceremony open to all the women of Rome was conducted in the Temple of Bona Dea on the Aventine. A sow (called the Damium) was sacrificed in her honor at this time. The ceremony was held at night, and the rituals were conducted by the Vestals. Myrtle, men and wine were forbidden at the ceremony. (Wine was actually employed in the ritual, but it was called "milk" and the wine vessel was called a "honey jar.")

The second great celebration of Bona Dea occurred in December. These rites were conducted at the home of the senior magistrate resident in Rome. This was a private ceremony, not paid for by the state, and entry was by invitation only. The date of the service was not fixed and varied from year to year.

As Rome became corrupted by exposure to the Greek religion, aetiological stories developed to explain the details of the ceremony. Supposedly, Faunus as the father of the goddess, tried to seduce her. He failed, even after getting her drunk on wine and whipping her with a myrtle branch. Eventually, Faunus turned himself into a serpent and in that form succeeded in "having his way" with Bona Dea. (Another story holds that Faunus was her husband and became incensed at Fauna's overindulgence in wine. He killed her, and then deified her.)

When she appeared to humans, it was sometimes in the form of a beautiful young woman and sometimes in the form of an old woman with pointed ears holding a serpent. Bona Dea was portrayed sitting on a throne, holding a cornucopia. The snake is her attribute, a symbol of healing. It also indicates the phallic nature of her cult. Her image was frequently used on coins.

In the year 62 B.C., the December celebration was held in the home of Julius Caesar who was praetor and Pontifex Maximus. His wife, Pompeia Sulla, and his mother, Aurelia, served as hostesses. The notorious Publius Clodius dressed up as a woman and entered the home of the Pontifex Maximus. Ceasar's mother ultimately unmasked Clodius, but the resulting scandal was enormous. The ceremony was declared a sacrilege, all the women present had to perform purification rituals, and the ceremony had to be performed again ab initio. Caesar divorced Pompeia on the grounds that she was a friend of Clodius, and there was speculation in Rome that she was an accomplice to the sacrilege. Caesar stated that his wife must not only be above suspicion, she must be seen to be above suspicion. Publius Clodius was sued over the matter. At his trial, Cicero confounded Clodius' alibi. The two became bitter enemies as a result, with serious political consequences for both men.

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