Mundus, Remus and the Founding of Rome
Mundus, Remus and the Founding of Rome

Summary/Abstract: One of the most important rites of passage associated with the goddess Ceres was the opening of the mundus. The mundus was an object in Rome, the opening of which was a state ritual and held on special occasions. As long as the mundus was open, the spirits of the dead roamed the world, so any activity carried out at that time was threatened by bad omens. Much controversy surrounds the issue of the mundus, since we do not know the form of its appearance, its exact location and origin are also shrouded in darkness. In our study, we are looking for the answer to how Ceres, as an agricultural deity, was connected to the duality of life and death, why the mundus is connected to her figure, and how this appears in the works of Roman authors. We would also like to pay attention to how the mundus Cereris came to be when Rome was founded, what its purpose was and what it could mean to the Romans of the time.

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