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    FORTUNA.  Fortune, a goddess to whose worship the Romans were devoutly attached. The common people regarded her as a divinity who distributed good and evil among mankind according to her caprice and without any regard to merit. The more sensible of the ancients either denied the existance of this deity or understood by Fortune nothing more than Divine Providence whose decrees being unknown to mortals made human events appear to happen by chance.

   The Romans who were, at the earliest period of their history content to consult Sors et Fortuna at Antium, afterwards adopted the goddess into the number of theit tutelaries and consecrated nearly thirty temples to her in the different districts of the city. Servius Tullius set the first example which was followed by Ancus Martius and it was largely adopted in the time of the Republic. The Emperor Nero built a temple to Fortune of transparent stones.

   The Romans mystically believed that Fortune after deserting the Persians and Assyrians took flight over Macedonia and saw Alexander perish as she passed into Egypt and into Syria. At last arriving on Mount Palatine she threw aside her wings and casting away her wheel, entered Rome where she took up her abode for ever.

   Fortune was Sulla's favorite divinity. To her and not to himelf or his own wisdom, was he accustomed to ascribe all the glory of his many achievements. In allusion to this he assumed the name of Felix.

   The Romans gave many different names to this versatile goddess. The following are those which appear on coins, viz: Antiatina, Bona, Felix, Fors, Mala, Muliebris, Manens, Obsequens, Primiigenia, Redux and lastly Fortuna Augusta (or Augusti) and Fortuna Populi Romani (see those names, suis locis).

Please |help| us convert the |Dictionary of Roman Coins| from scans to text by typing the original text here. Please add updates or make corrections to the NumisWiki text version as appropriate.

    FORTUNA.  Fortune, a goddess to whose worship the Romans were devoutly attached. The common people regarded her as a divinity who distributed good and evil among mankind according to her caprice and without any regard to merit. The more sensible of the ancients either denied the existance of this deity or understood by Fortune nothing more than Divine Providence whose decrees being unknown to mortals made human events appear to happen by chance.

   The Romans who were, at the earliest period of their history content to consult Sors et Fortuna at Antium, afterwards adopted the goddess into the number of theit tutelaries and consecrated nearly thirty temples to her in the different districts of the city. Servius Tullius set the first example which was followed by Ancus Martius and it was largely adopted in the time of the Republic. The Emperor Nero built a temple to Fortune of transparent stones.

   The Romans mystically believed that Fortune after deserting the Persians and Assyrians took flight over Macedonia and saw Alexander perish as she passed into Egypt and into Syria. At last arriving on Mount Palatine she threw aside her wings and casting away her wheel, entered Rome where she took up her abode for ever.

   Fortune was Sulla's favorite divinity. To her and not to himelf or his own wisdom, was he accustomed to ascribe all the glory of his many achievements. In allusion to this he assumed the name of Felix.

   The Romans gave many different names to this versatile goddess. The following are those which appear on coins, viz: Antiatina, Bona, Felix, Fors, Mala, Muliebris, Manens, Obsequens, Primiigenia, Redux and lastly Fortuna Augusta (or Augusti) and Fortuna Populi Romani (see those names, suis locis).