Pietas
Roman · deity · middle republic · deity
Pietas is not piety as we use the word: it is the discharge of what is owed, to the gods, to one's parents, and to Rome, in that order and without enthusiasm being required. It is the quality Virgil gives Aeneas in his standing epithet, pius, which is why he carries his father out of Troy on his back. Her temple was dedicated in 181 BCE, and the site attracted the famous story of a daughter who kept her imprisoned parent alive at her own breast.
Domains
- duty
Sources
- Reference treatment of Pietas and of her temple dedicated in 181 BCE.