August 13 marks the recurrence of three separate ancient Roman celebrations honoring the goddess Diana: the dies natalis (anniversary) of the dedication of her Aventine temple in Rome, the Neomoralia festival at Aricia, and the dies natalis of the Collegium of Diana and Antinous in Lanuvium.
The Aventine temple of Diana was built in the 6th century BCE. It was the oldest and most important of the Roman sanctuaries dedicated to Diana. The location was originally a wooded area located outside the pomerium (the politically neutral ground outside the sacred boundary of Rome) and reflected Rome’s formal assumption of the leadership of the Latin League.
The three-day Nemoralia was held in honor of Diana at her temple at Aricia, which was constructed in the 4th century BCE, though evidence of religious activity at the site dates to the Archaic period. The sanctuary is located in the Alban Hills, a quiescent volcanic complex about 26.4 km from Rome on the Via Appia, about a 6-hour journey by foot. It is a wooded area with mountain streams overlooking Lake Nemi, a volcanic crater lake which was known in antiquity as the speculum (“mirror”) of Diana. “Nemi” is a word derived from the Latin “nemus” meaning “holy wood.”
In antiquity, worshipers wearing flowers in their hair assembled at the Sanctuary in Nemi with torches and candles, bearing votive offerings of bread or terracotta in the shape of stags, children, and body parts in need of healing. Prayers written on ribbons were tied to trees in the sanctuary. Men, women, and slaves were free of their regular jobs and duties during this festival and the entire populace enjoyed three days of equality. Dogs also joined in the celebration, adorned with flower crowns, and hunting of was forbidden during the Nemoralia in deference to Diana, goddess of the hunt.
Dies natalis means “birthday” as well as “anniversary”. Members of the 2nd century CE Collegium of Diana and Antinoüs at Lanuvium, about 7 km from Aricia, observed the birth of Diana, their patron goddess, on this date with a feast and, at the same time, celebrated the anniversary of the founding of their society. The connection between Artemis and Antinoüs is the love of hunting The emperor Hadrian is known to have restored the Sanctuary of Diana at Aricia, and likely visited it in 117 during his tour of the towns of the area. It’s not a stretch of the imagination that Antinoüs may well have accompanied him there at some later point.
Ave, Dea Diana! Felix dies natalis!
༺✧∘⬩∘𖥔∘⬩∘✧∘⬩∘𖥔∘⬩∘✧∘⬩∘𖥔⬩🦌🌳🏛🌳🦌⬩𖥔∘⬩∘✧∘⬩∘𖥔∘⬩∘✧∘⬩∘𖥔∘⬩∘✧༻
Featured images: Sacrifice to Diana from the 4th century CE "Little Hunt" mosaic at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily, Italy. Photo by Jerzy Strzelecki. Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosaic_in_Villa_Romana_del_Casale,_by_Jerzy_Strzelecki,_06.jpg Image license: GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2. Alterations: I cropped the image, brushed out parts of cropped elements, and brightened the color.
Image description: In the center of the mosaic panel, a bronze statue of Diana stands on a tall, cylindrical, dark grey base. The statue is reaching behind her right shoulder with her right hand for an arrow from her quiver and holds a bow in her left hand. A short square brown altar, with a fire burning on top, is in front of the base of the statue. This arrangement is centered between two tall, thin trees with green foliage at their tops.
To the statue's right, a hunter with short blond hair, wearing a long-sleeved yellow tunic which falls to mid-thigh and tall boots, holds the reins of a brown horse. To his immediate left, and at the right of the altar, stands a blond hunter wearing a red long-sleeved tunic which falls to mid-thigh and tall boots. He holds a plate in his left hand and with his right hand casts an offering to the goddess into the altar fire.
To the statue's left, a hunter with brown hair, wearing a long-sleeved blue tunic which falls to mid-thigh and tall boots, holds the reins of a tan horse. To his left, a boy with brown hair wearing a brown long-sleeved tunic and tall boots leans forward to restrain a large brown hunting dog by placing his his hands on the dog's shoulders; the dog, with ears alert, looks back over its left shoulder at the boy.
