Statuette

Date12 BC-400 AD

MediumBronze

ClassificationsSculpture

Terms

Object numberC00932

DescriptionStatuette of the Roman god Lar.
For Romans being civilised meant looking after the home. They worshipped a set of household gods who protected this home and the family within it.
Lares were the spirits of the departed, said to bring blessing and became worshipped in houses in association with the Penates, gods of the storeroom.
Their origins are thought to trace from a time when the Roman buried the dead in their own houses. This practice was later forbidden by the laws of the Twelve Tables.
Each household would have had one particular Lar which was the centre of the family cult. A prayer would have been said to the Lar every morning and offerings made at family festivals. Lares could also be associated with various roadways, seaways, towns and cities, offering protection and influence over events.

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