{{Short description|Personification of giving freely}} [[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 emperor of the 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 ''Augusta'' or ''Augusti'' in association with 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 epiphany of the goddess or ''miraculum'': Liberalitas was thought to have manifested herself when Trajan distributed cash gifts to the populace during his formal arrival ceremony ''(adventus)'' in 99 AD.<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," pp. 914–916.</ref> 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.<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," p. 922.</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Roman religion}}

Category:Roman goddesses Category:Personifications in Roman mythology

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