Detail from Minerva of Peace, Elihu Vedder, 1896

Minerva, known also as Pallas Athena in Greek mythology, was the Roman name of Greek goddess Athena. Elihu Vedder (1836 &ndash 1923 was an American symbolist painter book illustrator and poet born in New York City. ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities She was considered to be the virgin goddess of warriors, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, crafts, and the inventor of music. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Wisdom is a concept of personal gaining of Knowledge, Understanding, Experience, discretion and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer A craft is a Skill, especially involving practical arts. It may refer to a Trade or particular art An inventor is a person who creates or discovers a new method form device or other useful means Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. ^[1]

This article focuses on Minerva in early Rome and in cultic practice. This article discusses cult in the original and typically ancient sense of "religious practice" (cultus For information on literary mythological accounts of Minerva, which were heavily influenced by Greek mythology, see Pallas Athena where she is one of three virgin goddesses along with Artemis and Hestia. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister In Greek mythology, virginal Hestia, (Roman name Vesta daughter of Kronus and Rhea, ( ancient Greek) is the Goddess

Etruscan Menrva

Main article: Menrva

The name "Minerva" is likely imported from the Etruscans who called her Menrva. Menrva (also spelled Menerva Merva and Mera was an Etruscan goddess of war art wisdom and health The Etruscans were a people of unknown origin living in Northern Italy, who were eventually integrated into Roman culture and politically became part of the Roman Republic Menrva (also spelled Menerva Merva and Mera was an Etruscan goddess of war art wisdom and health In Etruscan mythology, Menrva was the goddess of wisdom, war, art, schools and commerce. The Etruscans were a people of unknown origin living in Northern Italy, who were eventually integrated into Roman culture and politically became part of the Roman Republic She was the Etruscan counterpart to Greek Athena and to Roman Minerva. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its Like Athena, Menrva was born from the head of her father, Tinia. The Etruscan bright sky god Tinia (also Tin, Tins or Tina) was the highest god in Etruscan mythology, the Etruscan equivalent of the Roman

Her name has the "mn-" stem, linked with memory. See Greek "Mnemosyne" (gr. Mnemosyne (Greek, nɪˈmɒzɪni or /nɪˈmɒsəni/ (sometimes confused with Mneme or compared with Memoria μνημοσύνη) and "mnestis" (gr. μνῆστις): memory, remembrance, recollection. The Romans could have confused her foreign name with their word mens meaning "mind" since one of her aspects as goddess pertained not only to war but also to the intellectual. Minerva is the Roman name for Athena the goddess of Wisdom and Virginity. She is also depicted as an owl.

Cult of Minerva in Rome

Menrva was part of a holy triad with Tinia and Uni, equivalent to the Roman Jupiter-Juno-Minerva triad. The Etruscan bright sky god Tinia (also Tin, Tins or Tina) was the highest god in Etruscan mythology, the Etruscan equivalent of the Roman Uni was the supreme Goddess of the Etruscan pantheon and the patron goddess of Perugia. The Capitoline Triad was a group of three supreme deities in Roman religion who were worshipped in an elaborate temple on Rome 's Capitoline Hill, the Minerva was the daughter of Jupiter. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of the gods and the god of Sky and Thunder.

As Minerva Medica, she was the goddess of medicine and doctors. As Minerva Achaea, she was worshipped at Luceria in Apulia where the donaria and the arms of Diomedes were preserved in her temple. Lucera is a town and Comune in the Province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of Italy. Apulia ( Italian: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east the Ionian Sea Diomēdēs or Diomed ( Greek: Διομήδης English translation: "God-like cunning" or "advised by Zeus" is a Hero ^[2][3]

Statue of Minerva

A head of "Sulis-Minerva" found in the ruins of the Roman baths in Bath

Ovid called her the "goddess of a thousand works. For Roman baths in general see Thermae. The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including " Minerva was worshipped throughout Italy, though only in Rome did she take on a warlike character. Her worship was also taken out to the empire — in Britain, for example, she was conflated with the wisdom goddess Sulis. In localised Celtic polytheism practiced in Britain Sul or Sulis was the deification of the thermal spring-water of Bath Somerset, where she was worshipped

The Romans celebrated her festival from March 19 to March 23 during the day which is called, in the feminine plural, Quinquatria, the fifth after the Ides of March, the nineteenth, the artisans' holiday. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. In Ancient Roman religious tradition the Quinquatria or Quinquatrus was a festival sacred to Minerva, celebrated on the 19 March. An artisan, also called a Craftsman, is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative including furniture clothing A lesser version, the Minusculae Quinquatria, was held on the Ides of June, June 13, by the flute-players, who were particularly useful to religion. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for The aulos ( Greek αυλός, plural αυλοί, auloi or tibia ( Latin) was an ancient Greek musical instrument In 207 BC, a guild of poets and actors was formed to meet and make votive offerings at the temple of Minerva on the Aventine hill. Events By place Roman Republic The Roman general Gaius Claudius Nero fights an indecisive battle with the Carthaginian A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers A votive deposit or votive offering is an object left in a Sacred place for Ritual purposes The Aventine Hill is one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built Among others, its members included Livius Andronicus. Lucius Livius Andronicus (280/260 BC?&ndash200 BC? not to be confused with the later historian Livy, was a Greco-Roman Dramatist and epic poet The Aventine sanctuary of Minerva continued to be an important center of the arts for much of the middle Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the

Minerva was worshipped on the Capitoline Hill as one of the Capitoline Triad along with Jupiter and Juno, at the Temple of Minerva Medica, and at the "Delubrum Minervae" a temple founded around 50 BC by Pompey on the site of the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (near the present-day Piazza della Minerva and the Pantheon). The Capitoline Hill, between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome. The Capitoline Triad was a group of three supreme deities in Roman religion who were worshipped in an elaborate temple on Rome 's Capitoline Hill, the The temple of Minerva Medica (akin to the temple of Apollo Medicus) was a Temple in Ancient Rome, built on the Esquiline Hill in the republican Year 50 BC was a year of the pre-Julian calendar. Events By place Rome Consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation Santa Maria sopra Minerva is a Basilica church in Rome. The church located in the Campus Martius region is considered the only Gothic The Pantheon ( Latin Pantheon, from Greek Πάνθειον Pantheon, meaning "Temple of all the gods" is a building in Rome

Minerva in modern usage

Universities and educational establishments

The statue of Minerva in La Sapienza University, Rome

As patron goddess of wisdom, Minerva frequently features in statuary, an image on seals, and in other forms, at educational establishments, including:

• Minerva is the symbol of the University of Porto. Sapienza University of Rome ( Italian Sapienza Università di Roma) is a coeducational autonomous state university in Rome, Italy Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The University of Porto ( Universidade do Porto) is a Portuguese Public university located in Porto, and founded 22 March
• A statue of Minerva is located in the center of La Sapienza University, the most important university of Rome. Sapienza University of Rome ( Italian Sapienza Università di Roma) is a coeducational autonomous state university in Rome, Italy Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2
• Minerva is displayed in front of Columbia University's Low Memorial Library as "Alma Mater. Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. "
• Minerva is the name of a female residence at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Stellenbosch University ( Afrikaans: Universiteit Stellenbosch) is an internationally recognised University which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
• Minerva is the name of the registration and student records software at McGill University
• Minerva is the name of a computer science server used by students at the Harvard Extension School.
• Minerva is displayed to the East of University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Elliot University Center as a statue. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public University in Greensboro, North Carolina and is a constituent institution of the University
• The SUNY Potsdam campus in Potsdam, NY is home to multiple statues of Minerva and a cafe named after her. The State University of New York at Potsdam, also known as SUNY Potsdam, is a public university located in the Village of Potsdam in St Potsdam New York relates to two locations in Saint Lawrence County New York: Potsdam (town New York Potsdam (village New York
• Minerva is featured on the seals and logos of many institutions of higher learning:
  • University of Lincoln. The University of Lincoln is an English University in Lincolnshire whose origins can be traced back to the 19th century Minerva's head is used as the logo of this UK University. There is a tradition within the Lincoln rugby union team and it is thought they are the Knights of Minerva, each match being won in her honour.
  • University at Albany, The State University of New York. The University at Albany State University of New York, commonly known as the University at Albany is a Public university located in the capital of New Minerva is still venerated by seniors and their 'torch bearers' during a pre-graduation ritual called "Torch Night" there.
  • the University of Alabama
  • Union College, New York. Union College is a non-denominational independent liberal arts college located in Schenectady New York. Union College has also used Minerva as the name of their new academic and social "Third Space" program, the Minerva House System; and, also here, Minerva is the goddess of Theta Delta Chi. History Origins and growth Theta Delta Chi the eleventh oldest of the college fraternities was founded in 1847 at Union College in Schenectady NY by six
  • UFRJ, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld
  • Ghent University, in Belgium
  • American Academy of Arts & Sciences, in Cambridge, Mass. The seal's principal figure is Minerva - a symbol appropriate for an organization created in the midst of the American Revolution and dedicated to the cultivation of every art and science to "advance the interest, honour, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people. Ghent University (in Dutch Universiteit Gent, abbreviated UGent) is one of the three large Flemish universities. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS is an organization dedicated to scholarship and the advancement of learning Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. "
• Minerva is also the name of the second oldest elite student-association in the Netherlands (Leiden University).
• Minerva decorates the keystone over the main entrance to the Boston Public Library beneath the words, "Free to all. " BPL was the original public-financed library in America and, with all other libraries, is the long-term memory of the human race.
• Minerva is the Goddess of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. Sigma Alpha Epsilon (also known as SΑΕ) is a secret letter social college fraternity Fraternity Brothers are known as Loyal Sons of Minerva.
• Minerva is the patron of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the largest organization of Black women in the world. Delta Sigma Theta ( ΔΣΘ) Sorority is a Non-profit Greek letter organization of college educated women who perform public service placing emphasis on the
• Minerva is the name of a remote learning facility at Bath Spa University in England, UK.
• Minerva is featured on the seal of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
• Minerva is displayed as a statue in the entrance to Main Building at Wells College in Aurora, NY.
• Minerva is the patroness of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Minerva is the name of the statue on the campus of Texas Woman's University that represents the school mascot, The Pioneer Woman
• Minerva is featured in the logo of The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, Australia. Texas Woman's University (historically the College of Industrial Arts and Texas State College for Women) is a University in Denton Texas with The MacRobertson Girls' High School (also known simply as Mac

Societies

The Great Seal of California

• The Seal of California depicts the Goddess Minerva having sprung full grown from the brain of Jupiter. The Great Seal of the State of California was adopted at the California state Constitutional Convention of 1849 and redesigned in 1937. This was interpreted as analogous to the political birth of the State of California without having gone through the probation period of being a Territory. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.
• In the early 20th century, Manuel José Estrada Cabrera, President of Guatemala, tried to promote a "Cult of Minerva" in his country; this left little legacy other than a few interesting Hellenic style "Temples" in parks around Guatemala. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Manuel José Estrada Cabrera ( 21 November 1857 – 24 September 1923) was President of Guatemala from 8 February The title of President of Guatemala has been the usual title of the leader of Guatemala since 1839 when that title was assumed by Mariano Rivera Paz. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest
• According to John Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy (1798), the third degree of the Bavarian Illuminati was called Minerval or Brother of Minerva, in honor of the goddess of learning. "Illuminata" redirects here For the 1998 John Turturro film see Illuminata (film. Later, this title was adopted for the first degree of Aleister Crowley's OTO rituals. Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (ˈkroʊli (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947 was a British Occultist Writer, mountaineer Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO ( Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars) is an international fraternal and Religious
• Minerva is the logo of the world famous German "Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science" (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft)
• Minerva holds some sort of ritualistic significance for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a national social fraternity (link)
• The helmet of Minerva serves as the crest of the distinctive unit insignia for Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The Minerva Roundabout in Guadalajara, Mexico, one of the city's most notable landmarks

Public monuments

• The Minerva Roundabout in Guadalajara, Mexico, located at the crossing of the López Mateos, Vallarta, López Cotilla, Agustín Yáñez and Golfo de Cortez avenues, features the goddess standing on a pedestal, surrounded by a large fountain, with an inscription which says "Justice, wisdom and strength guard this loyal city". The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e Sigma Alpha Epsilon (also known as SΑΕ) is a secret letter social college fraternity The Walter Reed National Army Medical Center (WRAMC is the United States Army's medical center on the east coast of the United States. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality Adolfo López Mateos ( 26 May 1909 &ndash 22 September 1969) was a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Agustín Yáñez Delgadillo (1904 in Guadalajara, Jalisco – 1980 in Mexico City) was a notable Mexican writer and politician who served as
• Minerva is displayed as a statue in the Minneapolis Central Library in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Minerva is displayed as a statue in Pavia near the train station, and is considered as an important landmark in the city. Pavia (pronounced Pavìa,) the ancient Ticinum, is a town and Comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south
• A statue of Minerva stands atop the dome of the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, Scotland. See Mitchell Library (Australia for that section of the State Library of New South Wales Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom

See also

• Sulis
• Celtic mythology
• Second French Empire

Footnotes and references

• Origins of English History see Chapter Ten.
• Romans in Britain - Roman religion and beliefs see The Roman gods.

Secondary sources

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith (1870). The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1849 originally published 1844 under a slightly different title is an Encyclopedia / Biographical dictionary Sir William Smith (1813 &ndash 1893 English Lexicographer, was born at Enfield in 1813 of Nonconformist parents See page 1090