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Caesar’s Castor: The Cult of the Dioscuri in Rome from the Mid-Republic to the Early Principate. Volume One: Thesis. Amber Clare Harriet Gartrell. St. Edmund Hall. The University of Oxford Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ancient History. Hilary Term 2015. Abstract Caesar’s Castor: The Cult of the Dioscuri in Rome from the Mid-Republic to the Early Principate. Amber Gartrell, St. Edmund Hall. Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ancient History, Hilary Term 2015. This thesis examines the development of the cult of the Dioscuri in Rome from the mid- Republic to the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. This was a period of great political and social upheaval and of religious change. Through a detailed examination of the cult of the Dioscuri, I trace how the cult developed and adapted in conjunction with religious, political and cultural changes within Roman society. I furthermore examine how the cult changed and explore the reasons why those changes occurred at that time and in that place. Chapter One surveys the two temples of Castor and Pollux in Rome, focusing in particular on their temple in the Roman Forum. Using archaeological and literary evidence, I argue that this temple was a central stage for many of the pivotal events and speeches of the late Republic. Chapter Two examines the epiphanies of the Dioscuri, most commonly associated with battles and their aftermath, although later appearing to commemorate the deaths of prominent individuals such as Julius Caesar and Drusus the Elder. I examine how the epiphanic tradition of the Dioscuri changed over time and ask why it was these gods in particular who rode to aid Rome. Chapter Three turns to exploring the relationships Castor and Pollux were said to possess with groups in Roman society, in particular horsemen, boxers and sailors. I examine how these relationships were formed and publicised and how they benefitted both the mortals and the gods. Chapter Four explores how a different aspect of the Dioscuri became prominent in the imperial period: their fraternal harmony. Castor and Pollux were linked to and compared with pairs of potential imperial successors. I explore the purposes of this comparison and how apt it was for the different pairings. Throughout this thesis, I examine some of the most prominent aspects of the cult of the Dioscuri in Rome within the wider context of history, culture and politics, arguing that the cult was a fully integrated part of Roman society as a whole. Acknowledgements. Many people have helped, contributed and guided me through the creation of this thesis and the work that led me here. I owe many thanks to my supervisor, Dr Edward Bispham, whose support and good humour throughout my doctorate have been truly invaluable. His encouragement and guidance led me to many fascinating explorations I would otherwise have missed. I would also like to thank my examiners, Dr Anna Clark and Dr Fay Glinister, whose questions, feedback and constructive criticism helped me to further hone my argument and clarify my thoughts with their new perspective. I am very grateful for all the support I have received from my college, St Edmund Hall, which welcomed me to Oxford and has continued to be a place full of friends, cake, coffee and the opportunity to talk about something other than ancient history for a while. Thanks also are owed to all the many scholars, at Oxford and elsewhere, who took the time to share their thoughts on my work, to answer my questions and discuss their ideas with me. Over the course of my doctorate, I presented many papers at the Ancient History Work in Progress series, and I also sincerely thank my co-postgraduates who helped me test out my ideas or argument and offered feedback. Last, but by no means least, thank you so very much to my family, who have always supported me. To my parents, for their unwavering care, encouragement and willingness to follow me around ancient Roman remains. To my sisters, who can always be relied upon to bring me back to reality when it is needed. To my grandparents, without whose support I would not have been able to fulfil this dream of mine. This thesis is dedicated to you all, with love and with thanks. 3 Table of Contents. Volume One: Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ 4 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 5 Mythology .................................................................................................................... 8 Iconography................................................................................................................ 14 Methodology .............................................................................................................. 15 Roman Religion Literature Review ........................................................................... 19 Dioscuri Literature Review ........................................................................................ 21 Form of the Thesis ..................................................................................................... 30 Chapter One: The Temples of Castor and Pollux ................................................................ 34 The Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Forum Romanum ....................................... 35 Depictions of the Temple ............................................................................ 40 Phases of the Temple ................................................................................... 44 Functions of the Temple .............................................................................. 56 The Platform at the Temple ......................................................................... 62 Political use of the Temple .......................................................................... 75 The Temple of Castor and Pollux in Circo Flaminio ................................................ 83 Comparison of the temples......................................................................................... 93 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 95 Chapter Two: Epiphanies of the Dioscuri ........................................................................... 98 Helpers in Battle ....................................................................................................... 111 Messengers of Victory ............................................................................................. 126 Companions at Death ............................................................................................... 140 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 144 Chapter Three: The Responsibilities of Castor and Pollux ............................................... 155 Castor (and Pollux) as Protectors of Horsemen ....................................................... 164 Pollux as Protector of Boxers ................................................................................... 194 Castor and Pollux as Saviours of Sailors ................................................................. 197 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 209 Chapter Four: The Dioscuri and Imperial Brothers ........................................................... 211 Gaius and Lucius Caesar .......................................................................................... 223 Tiberius and Drusus the Elder .................................................................................. 236 Germanicus and Drusus the Younger ...................................................................... 250 Nero and Drusus Caesar ........................................................................................... 259 Germanicus and Tiberius Gemellus ......................................................................... 262 Gaius Caligula and Tiberius Gemellus .................................................................... 264 Nero and Britannicus................................................................................................ 272 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 277 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 283 Volume Two: Appendix One: Catalogue of Dioscuric Epiphanies .......................................................... 294 Appendix Two: The Dioscuri and the Penates .................................................................. 296 Appendix Three: Images. .................................................................................................. 307 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 348 5 Abbreviations For ancient authors and modern catalogues, I have used the standard abbreviations provided by the Oxford Classical Dictionary, third edition. All translations are taken from the Loeb Classical Library volumes, published by Harvard University Press, unless otherwise noted. I use the following abbreviations for often cited works: BMC
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