Download O`Shaughnessy Juno Moneta

Mary O’Shaughnessy
Greek and Roman Religion
Fall 2014
The Temple of Juno Moneta
In ancient Rome, Juno was a goddess of love, marriage and protection. She was
considered to be the Roman equivalent of Hera a Greek goddess. She was the patron Goddess of
Rome, sometimes referred to as Regina, meaning queen. Juno was considered to be a supreme
deity, along with Jupiter and Minerva.
Moneta was a title given to the goddess Juno. Moneta is the Latin word for warner but
eventually came to mean money or refer to the minting. Since Juno is the goddess of protection
and Moneta means money, Juno Moneta was the protector of funds. Juno Moneta was the
goddess of fertility, protection and high places. Juno earned the name Moneta after an earthquake
which damaged large parts of the city of Rome, Juno protected the people earning the name
Moneta and a temple in her honor. Other stories say that during a war a general asked Juno for
help and in return earned the name Moneta and a temple built in her honor.
The temple stood atop a citadel which is a protective fortress. The temple overlooked
several government buildings. The temple was built up high because Juno Moneta was the
Goddess of high places. Inside the temple roman coins were minted, it also held books of the
magistrates and important court document. Sometimes sacrifices of pigs were performed inside
the temple, and dedicated to Juno Moneta.