Numismatic and History Discussion Forums > History and Archeology
Roma - What's in a name
SP88K:
Amor was the Roman god of love. He was the son of Venus and was generally represented as a beautiful naked boy, winged, blind, and armed with a bow and a quiver full of arrows with which he transfixed the hearts of lovers, kindling desire in them. He was equivalent to, but not identical to the Greek Eros.
His other latin name was of course Cupid
Casper
Ecgþeow:
so what exactly was the function of Venus in Roman mythology???
Gert:
Next to being the goddess of love, Venus was very important to the Roman mind, because she, in the guise of her aspect of Venus Genetrix, was the divine ancestor of the Roman people. She was the mother of Aeneas, who escaped Troy with his son Julus (from whom the gens of the Julii - Julius Caesar - claimed direct descent).
Best regards,
Gert
Trimalchio:
Hello,
I know, this topic is somewhat out of date, but I just read it and think I can shed some light on the origin of the name Rome:
"About 575/50 the etruscans occupied the rustic settlements at the lower course of the tiber, drained the forum valley by a discharge conduit (the cloaca maxima) and founded an urban community, that got the name Roma after the ruling gens of the Rumlna."
(W. Dalheim "Die griechisch-römische Antike - Rom", UTB 1997)
Another source (getting some more translating practice ;)):
"Not even the proud name of rome comes from (...) the hillsettlers. Today, it is known without doubt where the name of the eternal city and it's so called founder come from: "Romulus, the mythic first ruler" professor Lopez Pegna states "never existed. Contrary to the report of Livius, the city didn't take the name of the founder. The latin name "Roma" came at first from the etruscan name Rumlua and only then the adjective romulus was formed"
(W.Keller "Die Etrusker" Knaur 1970)
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