Mens
,_dalla_cava_di_calogio_presso_colonnata,_50_dc_ca._02.jpg)
In ancient Roman religion, Mens, also known as Mens Bona (Latin for "Good Mind"), was the personification of thought, consciousness and the mind, and also of "right-thinking". The founding (dies natalis) of her temple in Rome was celebrated on June 8.[2][3] A temple on the Capitoline Hill in Rome was vowed to Mens in 217 BC on advice from the Sibylline Books, after the defeat of Lake Trasimene,[4] and was dedicated in 215 BC.
In Latin poetry[edit]
- Propertius celebrated his escape from erotic bondage to his Cynthia by dedicating himself to the shrine of Mens Bona.[5]
Legacy[edit]
The Latin word mens expresses the idea of "mind" and is the origin of English words like mental and dementia. The gifted-only organization Mensa International was originally to be named mens in the sense of "mind", but took instead the name Mensa (Latin: "table") to avoid ambiguity with "men's" in English and "mens" in other languages.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ MENTI BONAE SACRVM FELIX VILICVS POSVIT
- ^ Adkins, Roy A. (1998). Handbook to life in ancient Rome. Oxford University Press. p. 267. ISBN 0-19-512332-8.
- ^ Harrington, Karl Pomeroy (1914). The Roman elegiac poets. American Book Company.
- ^ J E Sandys ed., A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (London 1894) p. 389
- ^ Guy Lee trans., Propertius: The Poems (OUP 2009) p.102 (III.24.19-20)
- ^ A D Melville trans., Ovid: The Love Poems (OUP 2008) p. 5 and p. 176 (Amores I.2.32-3)
Further reading[edit]
- Richardson, L. (1992). A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (pp. 251). Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-4300-6.
- Scullard, H.H. (1981). Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic (p. 148). London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-8014-1402-4.
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
