How Did Roman Emperors Become Gods? Various Concepts of Imperial Apotheosis

Authors

CHALUPA Aleš

Year of publication 2009
Type Article in Proceedings
Conference Anodos: Studies of the Ancient World 6-7/2006-2007
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Field Philosophy and religion
Keywords Roman imperial cult; deification; apotheosis; consecration; double funeral
Description This article surveys various concepts of imperial deification and its historical evolution. Three stages are identified. In the first stage, an eyewitness of an apotheosis is attested and a senatorial decree awarding divine honours is issued after a funeral. In the second stage, a senatorial decree is routinely issued before a funeral and an apotheosis is performed symbolically, by the release of an eagle from a funeral pyre. In the third stage, Roman emperors are often buried in a double funeral, although the exact motives of this practice are still disputed.

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