Salus

(libation bowl), on an aureus issued under Nero The two deities were related in several ways. Their shrines (aedes) were very close to each other on the Quirinal (see above). Some scholars also claim some inscriptions to Sancus have been found on the Collis Salutaris. Moreover, Salus is the first in the series of deities mentioned by Macrobius as related in their sacrality: Salus, Semonia, Seia, Segetia, Tutilina, who required the observance of a dies feriatus of the person who happened to utter their name. These deities were connected to the ancient agrarian cults of the valley of the Circus Maximus that remain mysterious. German scholars Georg Wissowa, Eduard Norden and Kurt Latte write of a deity named Salus Semonia, who is attested to only in one inscription of year 1 A.D., mentioning a Salus Semonia in its last line (seventeen). Scholars agree that this line is a later addition of uncertain date. In other inscriptions, Salus is never connected to Semonia. == Representation ==

Salus was often shown seated with her legs crossed (a common position for Securitas), leaning her elbow on the arm of her throne. Often, her right hand holds out a patera (shallow dish used in religious ceremonies) to feed a snake which is coiled round an altar. The snake is reared up and dips its head to the patera. Sometimes her hand is open and empty, making a gesture. Sometimes the snake directs its gaze along with hers. Sometimes there is no altar; the snake is coiled around the arm of her throne instead. Occasionally, Salus has a tall staff in her left hand with a snake twined around it; sometimes her right hand raises a smaller female figure. Later, Salus is shown standing, feeding her snake. This became the most common pose: she is standing and grasping the wriggling snake firmly under her arm, directing it to the food she holds out on a dish in her other hand. Rarely, Salus is holding a steering oar in her left hand indicating her role in guiding the emperor through a healthy life. This really belongs to Fortuna. Three statues from Cologne, Woodchester, and Mainz, along with the Mainz Jupiter Column, depict a goddess standing on a bull's head. The identification of this goddess was debated for a long time. During construction work in the port area of Mainz in 2020, one of these statues was discovered. It was the first and only one to bear an inscription on its base that names the goddess depicted as Salus. The bull's head was likely a sacrificial animal symbolizing prosperity. == Bibliography ==