Existing comment:
Myth of Civic Identity:
While heroes and heroines often provided models for individual behavior, mythological characters and events were often closely tied with civic identify. The nymph Arethusa dwelt in the harbor of Syracuse while the winged horse Pegasus was often depicted on Corinthian coins because he was the steed of the legendary Corinthian Bellerophon. For much of the Republic period, Romans put images of Roma, the city personified as a goddess, on the front of their coins, and frequently included the Dinoscurii -- the sons of Jupiter (the Greek Zeus) -- on the back in recognition of the aid the Dinoscurii provided the city in its early history. |