Mater Matuta was an indigenous Latin goddess adopted by the Romans. Mater Matuta was a goddess of fertility, childbirth, and ripening grain who later became linked to the dawn. Her cult is attested to in several places across Latium with her most famous temple being located at Satricum.
Etymology
The title Mater derives from the Latin word for "mother", and was a courtesy title commonly given to female deities. Matuta is connected to the Latin words mane ('of good hour), manes ('ghosts'), matutinus ('early morning' or 'of the morning'), and the adjective maturus ('ripe' or 'mature').
Functions and worship
Mater Matuta was likely a protective, benevolent goddess closely associated with fertility and the raising and maturation of children.
According to archaeologist Maureen Carroll, it is likely that the divine domain of Mater Matuta overlapped with numerous other deities, allowing the goddess to perform a plethora of functions and services for her suppliants. The legendary sixth king of Rome, Servius Tullius, was thought to have personally consecrated the temple in the 6th century BCE. It was destroyed in 506 BCE and rebuilt by Marcus Furius Camillus in 396 BCE. It was situated beside the temple of Fortuna, later discovered under the church of Sant' Omobono. The earliest evidence of temple activity is dated using votive deposits dating to the sixth century BCE. While the temple was not dedicated solely to the goddess, she appears to have received worship there. The Paturelli family, who owned the land, illegally excavated the site in 1845 and 1873 and sold the artifacts for personal gain. In order to conceal their illicit activity, the family terminated the excavation, but not before they damaged the temple site. An extensive collection of excavated votives from the site is housed in the Museo Campano in Capua. Likewise, in one inscription from Cora, an individual named Magia Prisca had donated a statue of Jupiter to Mater Matuta. In some cases, it appears that other deities were perceived as endorsing simultaneous worship of themselves alongside Mater Matuta. One inscription mentions that an individual named Flavia Nicolais Saddane constructed and dedicated an altar to Mater Matuta under the direction of Juno (). According to the 1st-century CE historian Plutarch, Mater Matuta could be considered "almost identical with Leucothea." Similarly, both the 1st-century BCE statesman Cicero and the 1st-century BCE poet Ovid claim that Ino was referred to by the Greeks as Leucothea but by the Romans as Matuta.
Matralia
thumb|[[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan cinerary statue depicting a seated Mater Matuta holding a child (c. 5th century BCE). Found in a necropolis near Chianciano Terme]]
At Rome, Mater Matuta's festival was the Matralia, celebrated on June 11 at her temple in the Forum Boarium. The philologist and historian Martin Litchfield West suggests that the date of this ceremony may relate to the solstice, noting that—according to John the Lydian—it occurred six months prior to a solar festival. Ovid implies that the festival was reserved only for "," meaning "good matrons." Moreover, Plutarch implies that only matronae (freewomen) in their first marriage were permitted to partake in the rites, stating "it is forbidden to slave-women to set foot in the shrine of Matuta."
An image of Mater Matuta was crowned with a garland during the celebration. Another aspect of the festival was eating specially prepared cakes. Varro, a 1st-century BCE polymath, states that Roman matrons would bake cakes in an earthen vessel referred to as a during the ceremony. Likewise, Ovid mentions that, on the Matralia, mothers should offer to Matuta "the yellow cakes that are her due." The exact term utilized to describe the color of the cake, "," is also utilized by Ovid to describe the dawn goddess Aurora, perhaps indicating that the yellow cakes were associated with the sun in some manner. According to the philologist Georges Dumézil, this ceremony may connect to the Vedic dawn goddess Ushas, who is responsible for forcefully driving back the night. Alternatively, the Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture suggests that the ritualistic beating reflects a Vedic myth in which Indra assails Ushas for her unwillingness to begin the day. This story may itself reflect a broader Indo-European archetype of a reluctant dawn goddess, which also perhaps manifests itself in Greek myths regarding Eos and the Latvian deity Auseklis. In support of the connection between the Vedic and Roman deity, Dumézil cites another ritual described by Plutarch, during which women would not pray for "blessings on their own children, but only on their sisters’ children."
See also
- List of Roman birth and childhood deities
- Swaddled infant votive