Cloacina
Roman · deity · regal · deity
Cloacina is the goddess of the main sewer, and that is not a joke the Romans were making. The Cloaca Maxima drained the Forum and made the centre of Rome usable, and a city that gave divinity to hinges and doorposts was certainly going to give it to the work that carried the filth away. Her shrine stood in the Forum over the drain's course and appears on Republican coins. The name was also referred to an older verb meaning to cleanse, which let her be understood as a purifier; the tradition put the Romans' and Sabines' purification after their peace at this spot.
Domains
- purification
Sources
- Reference treatment of Cloacina as goddess of the sewer system of Rome.