Editing Liberalitas

[[Image:Aureus Macrinus-RIC 0079.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Aureus]] issued under [[Macrinus]]: he and his son [[Diadumenianus]] are depicted as providing for the people as Liberalitas embodied stands by (with the legend reading <small>LIBERALITAS AUG</small>[<small>USTORUM</small>])]]

In [[ancient Roman culture]], '''''liberalitas''''' was the virtue of giving freely (from ''liber'', "free"), hence generosity. On coins, a political leader of the [[Roman Republic]] or an [[Roman emperor|emperor]] of the [[Roman Empire|Imperial era]] might be depicted as displaying largess to the Roman people, with ''liberalitas'' embodied as a goddess at his side.<ref>[[J. Rufus Fears]], "The Cult of Virtues and Roman Imperial Ideology," ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt'' II.17.2 (1981), p. 846.</ref> The goddess '''Liberalitas''' appears on coinage issued under the emperors Gordian III [[Trajan]], [[Antoninus Pius]]<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," p. 903.</ref> and [[Septimius Severus]],<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," p. 904.</ref> sometimes designated as [[List of Roman deities#Augustus and Augusta|''Augusta'' or ''Augusti'']] in association with [[Imperial cult (ancient Rome)|Imperial cult]]. On one example, a Roman holds out his [[toga]] to receive coins poured by Liberalitas, as Antoninus looks on from an elevated seat.<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," p. 906.</ref>

The divine Virtues are sometimes associated with a particular activity or function performed by the emperor—in the case of Liberalitas, the ''[[congiarium]]'' or giving of gifts by the emperor directly to individuals.<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," p. 913.</ref> The enacting of the particular virtue was considered an [[theophany|epiphany]] of the goddess or ''[[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#miraculum|miraculum]]'': Liberalitas was thought to have manifested herself when Trajan distributed cash gifts to the populace during his formal arrival ceremony ''([[Adventus (ceremony)|adventus]])'' in 99 AD.<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," pp. 914–916.</ref> [[Pliny the Younger|Pliny]] names the quality of ''liberalitas'' in his ''[[Panegyric]]'' to Trajan.<ref>Pliny, ''Panegyric'' 26–28; Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," pp. 916, 920.</ref>

Liberalitas was theologically linked to [[Providentia]], "providence", and [[Annona]], the embodiment of the [[grain supply to the city of Rome|grain supply]].<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," p. 922.</ref>

==References==
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{{Roman religion}}

[[Category:Roman goddesses]]
[[Category:Personifications in Roman mythology]]

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