Pietas (Classical Latin:[ˈpiɛtaːs]), translated variously as "duty", "religiosity"[1] or "religious behavior",[2] "loyalty",[3] "devotion", or "filial piety" (English "piety" derives from the Latin), was one of the chiefvirtues among theancient Romans. It was the distinguishing virtue of thefounding heroAeneas, who is often given theadjectival epithetpius ("religious") throughoutVirgil's epicAeneid. The sacred nature ofpietas was embodied by the divine personification Pietas, a goddess often pictured on Roman coins. The Greek equivalent iseusebeia (εὐσέβεια).[4]: 864–865
Cicero definedpietas as the virtue "which admonishes us to do our duty to our country or our parents or other blood relations."[5] The man who possessedpietas "performed all his duties towards the deity and his fellow human beings fully and in every respect," as the 19th-century classical scholarGeorg Wissowa described it.[6] Cicero suggests people should have awareness of their own honor and must always attempt to raise the honor of others with dignified praise. Furthermore, praise, admiration, and honored actions must be beyond all one's own desires, and actions and words must be chosen with respect to friends, colleagues, family, or blood relations. Cicero describes youth in the pursuit of honour: “How they yearn for praise! What labours will they not undertake to stand fast among their peers! How will they remember those who have shown them kindness and how eager to repay it!”[citation needed]
The first recorded use ofpietas in English occurs in Anselm Bayly'sThe Alliance of Music, Poetry, and Oratory, published in 1789.[7][verification needed]
Pietas erga parentes ("pietas toward one's parents") was one of the most important aspects of demonstrating virtue.Pius as acognomen originated as way to mark a person as especially "pious" in this sense: announcing one's personalpietas through official nomenclature seems to have been an innovation of thelate Republic, whenQuintus Caecilius Metellus Pius claimed it for his efforts to have his father,Numidicus, recalled from exile.[4]: 880 Pietas extended also toward "parents" in the sense of "ancestors," and was one of the basic principles ofRoman tradition, as expressed by the care of the dead.[8]
Pietas as a virtue resided within a person, in contrast to a virtue or gift such asVictoria, which was given by the gods.Pietas, however, allowed a person to recognize the divine source of benefits conferred.[4]: 878
A Roman with the virtue of pietas did not leave his religious duties at the door of the temple, but carried them with him everywhere, following the will of the gods in his business transactions and everyday life.
— Max Pfingsten[9]
Pietas held great importance in the realm of international relations and diplomacy. The credibility of a commander relied heavily on their willingness to set aside personal gain and fully dedicate themselves to a cause, refraining from any treacherous actions. This emphasis on credibility led to the reputation of individual commanders and the Roman state itself playing a pragmatic role in negotiations and discussions. Commanders' commitment tofides needed to be consistent, demonstrating credibility through ongoing actions and a steady approach in dealings with neighboring entities. Upholding respect for existing contracts meant honoring pledges and oaths, thus reinforcing Rome's commitment to ethical behavior and the continuation of diplomatic strategies. The chances of resolving conflicts were minimal if deceit became the standard in negotiations by commanders.[9]
Pietas was represented on coin by cult objects, but also as a woman conducting a sacrifice by means of fire at an altar.[2]: 286 In the imagery of sacrifice,libation was the fundamental act that came to symbolizepietas.[10]
Pietas is first represented on Roman coins ondenarii issued byMarcus Herennius in 108 or 107 BCE.[4]: 880 Pietas appears on the obverse as a divinepersonification, inbust form; the quality ofpietas is represented by a son carrying his father on his back; the symbolism of which would be echoed inVirgil'sAeneid, withAeneas carrying his fatherAnchises out of the burningTroy.[4]: 880 Pietas is among the virtues that appear frequently on Imperial coins, including those issued underHadrian.[11]: 813
One of the symbols ofpietas was the stork, described byPetronius aspietaticultrix, "cultivator ofpietas." Thestork represented filial piety in particular, as the Romans believed that it demonstrated family loyalty by returning to the same nest every year, and that it took care of its parents in old age. As such, a stork appears next to Pietas ona coin issued by Metellus Pius (on whosecognomen seeabove).[12]
Pietas was the divine presence in everyday life that cautioned humans not to intrude on the realm of the gods.[13][2]: 286 Violations ofpietas required apiaculum, expiatory rites.[2]: 286
TheTemple of Piety at Rome wassolemnly vowed by theplebeianconsul andnew manManius Acilius Glabrio at theBattle of Thermopylae in 191 BCE, where he defeated theemperorAntiochus the Great during theRoman–Seleucid War.[14][11]: 741–742 [4]: 845 Completed by his son, it was erected at the northwest end of the Roman vegetable market (Forum Olitorium) near theCarmental Gate. It included agold statue of the father, the first such statue of aRoman citizen in the city.
According to a miraculous legend (miraculum),[15] a poor woman who was starving in prison was saved when her daughter gave her breast milk (compareRoman Charity). Caught in the act, the daughter was not punished, but recognized for herpietas. Mother and daughter were set free, and given public support for the rest of their lives. The site was regarded as sacred to the goddessPietas (consecratus deae) because she had chosen to manifest her presence there.[11]: 742 [4]: 880 The story exemplifiedpietas erga parentes, the proper devotion one ought to show to one's parents.[4]: 880
Pietas was often depicted as goddess on the reverse of Roman Imperial coins, with women of the imperial family on the obverse,[16] as an appropriate virtue to be attributed to them. Women of the Imperial family might be portrayed in art in the goddess's guise.
pietatem, quae erga patriam aut parentes aut alios sanguine coniunctos officium conservare moneatas quoted byWagenvoort, Hendrik (1980).Pietas: Selected Studies in Roman Religion. Studies in Greek and Roman Religion. Vol. 1. Brill. p. 7.ISBN 9004061959.
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