Ceres was the goddess of the harvest, fertility, motherhood and agriculture in general. Her Greek counterpart was the goddess Demeter. She is the only Roman agricultural god to be listed in the Dii Consentes, a list of the 12 gods of the Roman Pantheon. Just as Greek mythology includes Persephone as her daughter, the Romans attributed Proserpina as Cere’s daughter. Both the ancient Greeks and Romans believed the abduction of Proserpina, by Pluto, was the cause of the changing seasons. Pluto and Jupiter came to an agreement that Proserpina would spend six months on earth and then six months living in the Underworld. Whilst Ceres daughter was staying in the underworld, Ceres neglects her duties and brings forth a barren state, the beginning of winter when the ground mourns for Proserpina. As she emerges from her underworld prison, Ceres rejoices and the Earth awakens, bringing forth Spring.
To find out more about Roman goddesses, please visit our relevant blog post: Roman Goddesses in Mythology.
To discover more about oil lamps in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: Lighting The Way.
