BON EVENT

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BON EVENT Bonus Eventus - Good success was honoured at Rome with a peculiar worship. On a denarius of the Scribonia, gens occur these abbreviated words, owing no doubt (says Eckhel, v 303) to the Roman practice of consecrating every thing capable of producing good and evil, as Fortune, Hope, Genius, etc. And thus with Eventus; just as Lucretius enumerates among events, Slavery, Liberty, Riches, Povery, War, Peace (L i v 456). Eventus, according to Cicero 's definition (De Invent. Rhet. i c 28), is "the issue of any matter respecting which we generally inquire, what has resulted, or may result, or will ultimately result, from such circumstances." Thus if anything turned out well it was attributed to Bonus Eventus; that it was considered to be of the same nature as Felicitas, is proved by a denarius engraved in Morell. Thesaur. amongst the incerti, Tab ii D on which near a female head is inscribed BON EVENT ET FELICITAS. Eckhel expresses his own opinion to be that "this Genius of the Romans is the same as the 'ANTOMATIA of the Greeks; and he quotes what Plutarch says of Timolean, "Having built in his house a shrine to 'ANTOMATIA, he sacrificed to her; but the house itself he dedicated to the sacred DAIMWU (genius). And Nepos also, in his life, corroberates the fact of that great reverence, which Timolean paid the above named deification of chance or fortunate events. The reason for this conduct was, that whatever he undertook he prospered. Consequently, 'ANTOMATIA is niether more nor less than the spontaneous agency of Fortune, that is to say Eventus, and Bonus Eventus, because thatnks were returned to it; and it was believed to be presided over by a good or sacred Genius, by the Greeks styled AGAQOS, or GEPOS DAIMWU."

Bonus Eventus, according to Publius Victor, had a temple in the ninth quarter of Rome; and Ammianus also mentions it. On consular denarii the female sex is assigned to Eventus (see Scribonia gens). Also on an autonoomous, or family denarius of Galba. But on those of other emperors down to the time of Gallienus, this deity is represented as of the male sex.

An example of this occurs on a second brass on Antoninus Pius, whence the above line drawing is copied, and which bears on its reverse the full legend, in the dedicatory form.

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