Roman Imperial Cult Established in BritainThe Roman Imperial Cult, centered on the new temple to the Divine Claudius, in Camulodunum, was a heavy blow to the pride of my people. The temple was begun ten years ago, in the year your world is pleased to number 49 AD, six years after the Romans took our land. I am Velomaurus. Before the Romans came, I was a prince of the Trinovantes with wide lands and many warriors behind me. Now I am a servant of the temple of the Divine Claudius, in Camulodunum. That is what they call a priest of this Imperial Cult. It is my great privilege to offer sacrifices to my new ruler. Many expensive sacrifices. We Celts worship spirits of the land and waters, even the spirits of the noble animals. We are aware of the powerful forces working in the world, over which we have no control. No man can tell the sun to shine or the rain to fall. These are tasks for greater beings who are beyond our understanding. Rome's Imperial Cult worships the spirit of a man. I have seen Claudius. I did not think him a great man. He spoke and moved strangely and seemed older than his years. My people would never have accepted him as a chieftain Even great men can develop faults and weaknesses that no one could admire. I do not believe that senators in Rome can 'create' a god.
Wanting to learn how this Roman Imperial Cult came about, I asked the Greek tutor who teaches some of the boys in the town. I was surprised to hear him admit that the custom had started in his country.In the time of my grandfather, the Romans fought a great war among themselves. It ended when Augustus defeated Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra, a foreign queen. The Greeks, who had supported his enemies, hoped to turn away the anger of Augustus. It had always been their custom to make gods of their greatest kings. They suggested worshipping Augustus as a god.
"To Sacrifice To A Man, Is To Treat Him As A God."PlutarchAugustus agreed to be included in the worship of Roma Dea, the spirit of Rome. He decided to use this form of worship to measure the loyalty of his subjects.The next step, was for the Roman Senate to pass a law saying everyone in the empire must sacrifice to the numen, or spirit, of the emperor. Everyone outside Rome, that is. In Rome, emperor worship is still illegal. The teacher tells me this practice was easily accepted in the rest of the empire. Most people now worship the emperor alongside their local gods. A temple of the Roman Imperial Cult brings trade into their towns. The slaughter of many animals on the frequent Imperial feast days, helps to feed the people. Their nobles and rich merchants seek to become priests of the Imperial Cult for the publicity and status the office gives them. We in Britannia already had as much status as we wanted...and a lot more wealth than we have now. The Roman Imperial Cult requires many feasts to be celebrated, such as the birthdays of all the imperial family. Each feast calls for the sacrifice of bulls and other animals. Each animal must be of the highest quality and paid for by the priests. Our new Roman god is served only by British priests. Becoming priests of this Roman Imperial Cult, was not an honor we were free to refuse. To be made poor, honoring a god in which we do not believe, is public humiliation not high social status. I am first priest of this new state religion, because my father was among those who invited the Romans to help us push the Catuvelauni off our land. They did that and even sent their leader, Caratacus, to Rome, in chains, with all his family - to be executed. Because Claudius admired his courage - and his flattering speech Caratacus now enjoys luxurious captivity in Rome. His youngest brother, who took the Romans' side against him, rules Verulamium as a Roman Magistrate. What of the Trinovantes, who welcomed Rome? Were we rewarded? The 'Divine' Claudius gave our land to his soldiers who were too old to fight any more. Those veterans called the town they built around their old fortress a Colonia - their victorious Colonia dedicated to Claudius. Their victory was over us. Now we must spend what is left of our wealth to honor their emperor. The Roman Imperial Cult is not a religion but a device to change us – an iron mold that would make us all Romans. A man may still cherish his beliefs in his heart, while only mouthing the words his oppressors demand to hear. Return to Towns from Roman Imperial Cult
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