Roman imperial cult

E581576

The Roman imperial cult was a state-sponsored system of religious veneration of the emperor and his family, blending politics and religion to reinforce loyalty and unity across the Roman Empire.

All labels observed (10)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (72)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Roman religion
religious institution
state cult
administeredBy local civic elites
priests of the imperial cult
provincial councils (koinon)
associatedWith Augustus
Domitian
Julius Caesar
Severan dynasty
Trajan
conflictedWith early Christianity
some Jewish communities
declinedInCentury 4th century CE
declinedUnder Constantine the Great
linked to: Constantine I
developedFrom Hellenistic ruler cults
Roman civic cult practices
traditional Roman ancestor worship
developedIn Roman Empire
emergedInCentury 1st century BCE
flourishedInCentury 1st century CE
2nd century CE
flourishedUnder Antoninus Pius
Augustus
Claudius
Hadrian
Marcus Aurelius
Tiberius
hasCenter Ara Pacis Augustae
Temple of Divus Julius
Temple of Roma and Augustus at Pergamon
provincial temples to Roma and Augustus
hasCharacteristic ceremonial loyalty to the emperor
political-religious syncretism
public cult
state-sponsored
hasDeityType Roma (personification of Rome)
divinized emperor
imperial family members
living emperor as semi-divine figure
hasMainSubject veneration of the Roman emperor
veneration of the imperial family
hasPurpose legitimation of imperial authority
promotion of unity across the Roman Empire
reinforcement of political loyalty
includesPractice dedication of altars and temples to emperors
games and spectacles
oaths of loyalty to the emperor
prayers for the health and safety of the emperor
processions
public festivals in honor of the emperor
sacrifices to the emperor
influencedBy Eastern mystery cults
Greek religious traditions
linkedTo Roman citizenship
imperial ideology
imperial propaganda
partOf religion in ancient Rome
practicedIn Asia Minor
Egypt
Gaul
Greece
Hispania
linked to: Hispania (probable)

Italy
North Africa
Roman provinces
Rome
Syria
replacedBy Christian imperial ideology
suppressedBy Christian emperors
viewedAs expression of loyalty to the emperor
instrument of imperial integration

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (28)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

On the Embassy to Gaius mentions Roman imperial cult
Actian Games hasCulturalContext Roman Imperial cult
linked to: Roman imperial cult
Column of Antoninus Pius religiousContext Imperial cult
linked to: Roman imperial cult
Caesar’s Comet relatedTo Imperial cult of Rome
subject linked to: Caesar’s comet
linked to: Roman imperial cult
Temple of Augustus religion Roman imperial cult
Stratonicea religion Roman imperial cult
Sanctuary of the Three Gauls partOf Roman imperial cult
Mater Patriae culturalContext Roman imperial cult
Temple of Trajan hasReligion Roman imperial cult
Equus Marci Aurelii religionContext Imperial Roman state cult
linked to: Roman imperial cult
Illyrian paganism suppressedBy Roman imperial cult
Personified Roma relatedConcept Roman imperial cult
subject linked to: personified Roma
deification of Julius Caesar influenced Roman imperial cult
Roma associatedWith Imperial cult
subject linked to: goddess Roma
linked to: Roman imperial cult
Hall of Emperors associatedWith Roman imperial cult
Magnesia ad Sipylum religion Roman imperial cult
Decian edict on universal sacrifice relatedTo Roman imperial cult
Antinous religionAfterDeath Imperial Roman religion
linked to: Roman imperial cult
Orbis Romanus influencedBy Roman imperial cult
subject linked to: orbis Romanus
TIBERIEUM relatedTo Roman imperial cult
Cornelia Salonina associatedCult Imperial cult
linked to: Roman imperial cult
Christus und die Cäsaren claims Roman imperial ideology influenced Christian concepts of authority
linked to: Roman imperial cult
cult of Venus Genetrix influenced imperial cult of the Julio-Claudian emperors
linked to: Roman imperial cult
cult of Venus Genetrix relatedCult imperial cult of Augustus
linked to: Roman imperial cult
Iovius culturalContext Roman imperial cult
Julian Star relatedTo Roman imperial cult
Concilium Galliarum religion Roman imperial cult
Ankara inscription associatedWithReligion Imperial cult of Rome and Augustus
linked to: Roman imperial cult