Spes in the Early Imperial Cult: "The Hope of Augustus"

Abstract

SPES IN THE EARLY IMPERIAL CULT: "THE HOPE OF AUGUSTUS" MARK EDWARD CLARK The worship of personified virtues and abstractions was an essen- tial part of the Roman imperial cult. To the Romans virtues, such as Concordia, Felicitas, and Libertas, were numinous forces in the world (numina) and specific attributes of leaders (virtutes, utilitates, res exspectandae). Several Roman virtues have been the subject of in- dividual studies.' A desideratum in the study of classical religion, however, has been an investigation of Spes, the Roman virtue and personification of Hope. Standard handbooks and surveys of Roman religion offer concise, but limited,