Editing Juventas (section)

==Temple and early cult==
Juventas had a shrine within the [[cella]] of [[Minerva]] on the [[Capitoline]]. According to [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus|Dionysius]]<ref>[[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]] 3.69.5.</ref> and [[Livy]],<ref>[[Livy]] 5.54.7.</ref> both she and the god [[Terminus (god)|Terminus]] are supposed to have "refused" the ceremony of reversal ''([[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#exauguratio|exauguratio]])'' performed when [[Lucius Tarquinius Priscus|Tarquin]] wished to rebuild the temple district on the Capitoline. Although other deities were relocated, these two were incorporated into the new structure.{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=848}} Dionysius also records that the semi-legendary king [[Servius Tullius]] established a temple fund for Juventas, to which each family had to contribute.<ref>Dionysius 4.15.5</ref>{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=848}} The view that she was a part of archaic Roman religion depends mainly on these two aetiological legends, as she has no presence in the early history of [[Roman festivals]].{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=846}}{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=848}}

On the advice of the [[Sibylline books]], which were consulted amid anxieties surrounding the [[Second Punic War]], Juventas was included in sacrifices in 218 BC relating to a [[lectisternium]], a public banquet at which divine images were displayed as if the deities were participating.<ref>[[Livy]] 21.62.9 and 36.36.5</ref>{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=835, 848 & 851–852|ps=; citing also [[Kurt Latte]] for the date}} Like other deities whose cult was ordained by the Sibylline books, Juventas was venerated ''[[ritus graecus|ritu graeco]]'', according to "Greek" rite.{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=858}} Also at the lectisternium of 218 BC, a [[supplicatio]]n was performed at the Temple of [[Hercules in ancient Rome|Hercules]]. In [[Greek myth]], the divinized Hercules had Hebe as his wife. The cultivation of both deities at the time of the Second Punic War seems intended to reinvigorate men of fighting age: Juventas "was regarded as a powerful divine force rendering a vital gift of strength at a critical moment."{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=858}} This occasion is also the first time the ''[[Genius (mythology)|Genius Publicus]]'' ("Genius of the People") is recorded. After the disastrous [[Battle of Lake Trasimene]] in April 217 BC, Juventas, Hercules, and the Genius Publicus were excluded for a time from divine honors, as they were not felt to have been efficacious.{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=858}} [[Marcus Livius Salinator]] vowed a temple to her during the [[Battle of the Metaurus]], when he faced [[Hasdrubal (Barcid)|Hasdrubal]] in 207 BC—an indication that Juventas was still felt to have potency.{{sfnp|Fears|1981|p=858}}

A procession ''([[supplicia canum]])'' in which Romans carried crucified dogs passed between the Temple of Juventas and that of [[Summanus]]. A late source dates the "punishment of the dogs" to August 3.{{sfnp|Scullard|1981|p=170}}