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{{Short description|Goddess in ancient Roman religion}}

In [[Roman mythology]], '''Spes''' was the goddess of hope. She was traditionally defined as "the last goddess" (''Spes, ultima dea''), meaning that hope is the last resource available to men.

{{Other uses}}

[[File:Trajan Dupondius Spes.jpg|thumb|An ancient Roman coin with Spes on the reverse.]]

'''Spes''' ([[Latin]] for "[[Hope (virtue)|Hope]]") was worshipped as a [[goddess]] in [[ancient Rome|ancient Roman]] [[ancient Roman religion|religion]]. Numerous temples to Spes are known, and [[Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum|inscriptions]] indicate that she received private devotion as well as state cult.<ref>[[J. Rufus Fears]], "The Cult of Virtues and Roman Imperial Ideology," ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt'' II.17.2 (1981), p. 837.</ref>

==Republican Hope==

There was a temple to her in the vegetable market.

[[File:Roma-sannicolaincarcere02.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Columns from the Temple of Spes at the [[Forum Olitorium]] were incorporated into the [[San Nicola in Carcere]] church]]

[[File:Forum Holitorium - Lancianu 1893-1901.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Temple of Spes with those of [[Pietas (goddess)|Piety]] and [[Juno Sospita]] at the Forum Olitorium, drawn by [[Rodolfo Lanciani|Lanciani]]]]

[[File:SoutherCircusFlaminiusInRomeByGismondi.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The area of the Forum Olitorium and [[Theater of Marcellus]] in the scale model of [[ancient Rome]] at the [[Museum of Roman Civilization]]]]

During the [[Roman Republic|Republic]], a temple to "ancient Hope" ({{lang|la|Spes vetus}}) was supposed to have been located near the [[Porta Praenestina|Praenestine Gate]].<ref>[[Frontinus]], ''[[De aquaeductu]]'' 1.19.</ref>{{sfnp|Momigliano|1987|p=75}} It was associated with events that occurred in the 5th century BC,<ref>[[Livy]] 2.51.2; [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]] 9.24.4.</ref>{{sfnp|Momigliano|1987|p=75}} but its existence as anything except perhaps a private shrine has been doubted.<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," p. 848.</ref>

A well-documented [[Temple of Spes (Carmental)|Temple of Spes]] was built by [[Aulus Atilius Calatinus]]<ref>[[Cicero]], ''[[De Legibus|De legibus]]'' 2.28.</ref>{{sfnp|Momigliano|1987|p=75}} along with [[Fides (goddess)|Fides]], as the result of vows ({{lang|la|[[votum|vota]]}}) made to these goddesses during the [[First Punic War]].<ref>Fears, "The Cult of Virtues," p. 835.</ref> This was built at the vegetable market ({{lang|la|[[Forum Olitorium]]}})<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Spes |short=x}}</ref> just outside the [[Carmental Gate]]. It was twice burnt down and restored, first in 213 BC and then again in AD 7.{{sfnp|Burn|1871|p=305}}

In art, Spes was depicted holding a [[cornucopia]] and [[flower]]s.

At [[Capua]] in 110 BC, a temple was built to the triad of Spes, [[Fides (goddess)|Fides]], and [[Fortuna]].<ref>''[[Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae]]'' 3770.</ref>{{sfnp|Momigliano|1987|p=75}}

[[Category:Roman goddesses]]

==Imperial Hope==

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Spes was one of the divine personifications in the [[Imperial cult (ancient Rome)|Imperial cult]] of the Virtues. Spes Augusta was Hope associated with the capacity of the [[Roman emperor|emperor]] as ''[[Augustus (honorific)|Augustus]]'' to ensure blessed conditions.<ref>[[J. Rufus Fears]], "The Theology of Victory at Rome: Approaches and Problem," ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt'' II.17.2 (1981), pp. 812–814.</ref>

Like [[Salus]] ("Salvation, Security"), [[Ops]] ("Abundance, Prosperity"), and [[Victoria (mythology)|Victoria]] ("Victory"), Spes was a power that had to come from the gods, in contrast to divine powers that resided within the individual such as [[Mens]] ("Intelligence"), [[Virtus (deity)|Virtus]] ("Virtue"), and [[Fides (goddess)|Fides]] ("Faith, Fidelity, Trustworthiness").<ref>Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome," p. 744.</ref>

==Greek Elpis==

The [[interpretatio graeca|Greek counterpart]] of Spes was [[Elpis (mythology)|Elpis]], who by contrast had no formal [[Religion in ancient Greece|cult in Greece]]. The primary [[Greek mythology|myth]] in which Elpis plays a role is the story of [[Pandora]]. The Greeks had ambivalent or even negative feelings about "hope", with [[Euripides]] describing it in his ''Suppliants'' as "delusive" and stating "it has embroiled many a State",<ref>Euripedes, ''Suppliants'', l. 479.</ref> and the concept was unimportant in the philosophical systems of the [[Stoicism|Stoics]] and [[Epicureanism|Epicureans]].{{sfnp|Momigliano|1987|p=75}} Expect with regards to the core value of Stoicism which is to control things within your power, hope is outside the power of the present.

==See also==

* [[Hope (virtue)|Hope]], the concept

* [[Pietas (goddess)|Piety]] ({{lang|la|Pietas}}), [[Fortuna (goddess)|Luck]] ({{lang|la|Fortuna}}), [[Fides (deity)|Faithfulness]] ({{lang|la|Fides}}) as Roman goddesses

==References==

===Citations===

{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===

{{refbegin}}

* {{citation |last=Burn |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Burn (classicist) |url=https://archive.org/details/romecampagnahist00burn |title=Rome and the Campagna: An Historical and Topographical Description of the Site, Buildings, and Neighbourhood of Ancient Rome... |___location=[[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]] |publisher=Deighton, Bell, & Co. |date=1871 }}

* {{citation |author-link=Arnaldo Momigliano |first=Arnaldo |last=Momigliano |contribution=Religion in Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem in the First Century B.C. |title=On Pagans, Jews, and Christians |editor= |___location= |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |date=1987}}

{{refend}}

==Further reading==

{{commons category}}

* Clark, Mark Edward. "Spes in the Early Imperial Cult: 'The Hope of Augustus'." ''Numen'' 30.1 (1983) 80–105.

{{Roman religion}}

[[Category:Roman goddesses]]

[[Category:Personifications in Roman mythology]]

[[Category:Hope]]