The
cult of Felicitas is first recorded in the mid-2nd century BC, when a
temple was dedicated to her by
Lucius Licinius Lucullus, grandfather of the famous
Lucullus, using booty from his military campaigns in
Spain in 151–150 BC. Predecessor to a noted connoisseur of art, Lucullus obtained and dedicated several statues looted by
Mummius from
Greece, including works by
Praxiteles: the
Thespiades, a statue group of the
Muses brought from
Thespiae, and a
Venus. This Temple of Felicitas was among several that had a secondary function as art museums, and was recommended by
Cicero along with the
Temple of Fortuna Huiusce Diei for those who enjoyed viewing art but lacked the means to amass private collections. The temple was located in the
Velabrum in the
Vicus Tuscus of the
Campus Martius, along a route associated with
triumphs: the axle of
Julius Caesar's triumphal
chariot in 46 BC is supposed to have broken in front of it. The temple was destroyed by a fire during the reign of
Claudius, though the Muses were rescued. It was not rebuilt at this site. Sulla identified himself so closely with the quality of
felicitcas that he adopted the
agnomen (nickname)
Felix. His domination as
dictator resulted from civil war and unprecedented military violence within the city of Rome itself, but he legitimated his authority by claiming that the mere fact of his victory was proof he was
felix and enjoyed the divine favor of the gods. Republican precedent was to regard a victory as belonging to the Roman people as a whole, as represented by the
triumphal procession at which the honored general submitted public offerings at the
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus at the
Capitol, and Sulla thus established an important theological element for the later authority of the emperor. Although he established no new temple for Felicitas, he venerated her with a
Ludi circenses to close the Sullan Victory games on the Kalends of November, and
Ovid writes of a lavish prosperity feast day for Felicitas which he celebrated thereafter. On July 1 and October 9, Felicitas received a sacrifice
in Capitolio, on the
Capitoline Hill, on the latter date as
Fausta Felicitas in conjunction with the
Genius Publicus ("Public
Genius") and
Venus Victrix. These observances probably took place at an altar or small shrine
(aedicula), not a separate
temple precinct. The
Acts of the Arval Brothers (1st century AD) prescribe a cow as the sacrifice for Felicitas. Pompey established a shrine for Felicitas at
his new theater and temple complex, which used the steps to the Temple of Venus Victrix as seating. Felicitas was cultivated with
Honor and Virtue, and she may have shared her shrine there with
Victory, as she did in the Imperial era as
Felicitas Caesaris (Caesar's
Felicitas) at
Ameria. Pompey's collocation of deities may have been intended to parallel the Capitoline grouping. A fourth cult site for Felicitas in Rome had been planned by Caesar, and possibly begun before his death. Work on the temple was finished by
Lepidus on the site of the
Curia Hostilia, which had been restored by Sulla, destroyed by fire in 52 BC, and demolished by Caesar in 44 BC. This temple seems not to have existed by the time of
Hadrian. Its site probably lies under the church of
Santi Luca e Martina. It has been suggested that an
Ionic capital and a
tufa wall uncovered at the site are the only known remains of the temple.
Felicitas was a
watchword used by Julius Caesar's troops at the
Battle of Thapsus, the names of deities and divine personifications being often recorded for this purpose in the late Republic.
Felicitas Iulia ("Julian Felicitas") was the name of a
colony in
Hispania that was refounded under Caesar and known also as
Olisipo, present-day
Lisbon, Portugal. During the Republic, only divine personifications known to have had a temple or public altar were featured on coins, among them Felicitas. On the only extant Republican coin type, Felicitas appears as a bust and wearing a
diadem. ==Empire==