Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-5mhkq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-13T17:13:57.139Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - Castor and Pollux as Parallels for Imperial Heirs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2021

Amber Gartrell
Affiliation:
University College London
Get access

Summary

Castor and Pollux have come a long way since their arrival in Rome at the start of the Republic. As traced in the preceding three chapters, they were linked to the preservation of the Republic and their Forum temple was a rallying point for popular action, but they had also been connected to the elite equites equo publico and prominent generals throughout the Republic. The Dioscuri thus appealed to a broad cross-section of the Roman populace. This final aspect of their cult is therefore perhaps not such a jarring change as it first might appear. Instead, it is a return to the foundation of their divinity: their fraternal harmony. They were the best of brothers, completely devoted to each other to the extent of sharing their immortality so both could live.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cult of Castor and Pollux in Ancient Rome
Myth, Ritual, and Society
, pp. 145 - 193
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×