Lesson plan
Ultio
Ultio ("Vengeance") was an ancient Roman goddess whose cultus was associated with Mars. An altar and golden statue of Ultio were set up in the Temple of Mars Ultor, dedicated by Augustus in 2 BC as a center for cultivating the Martian aspect of , "the Avenger". As a cultural value, the ultio embodied by the divinity was problematic, and it could be hard to draw the line between righteous vengeance and mere revenge. The ultio exercised by emperors was to be balanced with the virtue of clementia, tolerance or mercy. Augustus honored Mars Ultor and Ultio in his role as the avenger of the murder of Julius Caesar, whose adopted heir he was, but he founded the cult and temple only 40 years later, to mark the return of the Roman military standards captured by the Parthians at the disastrous Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC. The "avenging" of this military catastrophe—accomplished through diplomacy rather than a decisive battle—mitigated the potential divisiveness of celebrating the defeat of fellow Romans. Tiberius quashed plans for an altar to Ultio to mark the successful prosecutions in the death of Germanicus. According to Tacitus, Tiberius thought triumphalist monuments should be reserved for the defeat of foreign enemies. Caligula, however, returned to a more archaic concept of ultio as personal revenge.…
Article summary
Ultio ("Vengeance") was an ancient Roman goddess whose cultus was associated with Mars. An altar and golden statue of Ultio were set up in the Temple of Mars Ultor, dedicated by Augustus in 2 BC as a center for cultivating the Martian aspect of , "the Avenger". As a cultural value, the ultio embodied by the divinity was problematic, and it could be hard to draw the line between righteous vengeance and mere revenge. The ultio exercised by emperors was to be balanced with the virtue of clementia, tolerance or mercy. Augustus honored Mars Ultor and Ultio in his role as the avenger of the murder of Julius Caesar, whose adopted heir he was, but he founded the cult and temple only 40 years later, to mark the return of the Roman military standards captured by the Parthians at the disastrous Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC. The "avenging" of this military catastrophe—accomplished through diplomacy rather than a decisive battle—mitigated the potential divisiveness of celebrating the defeat of fellow Romans. Tiberius quashed plans for an altar to Ultio to mark the successful prosecutions in the death of Germanicus. According to Tacitus, Tiberius thought triumphalist monuments should be reserved for the defeat of foreign enemies. Caligula, however, returned to a more archaic concept of ultio as personal revenge.…
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.