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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cmezner, post: 7885969, member: 87809&quot;]Thank you so much for sharing this link. It is a quite long paper; I read the first 9 pages and summarize below what&nbsp; I think is relevant for this thread. According to this paper the Senate cult dates back to Tiberius, which was one of the questions I had.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">The article is about researching the integration of Roman provinces and its inhabitants into the Roman empire and also how Rome was integrated into the provincial environment. It is not about empire-wide integration, but locally circumscribed according to political organization and frequently at city level.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">One should not be limited to ask what was integrated, but the question of How&nbsp; - which actions took place&nbsp; - and who initiated those.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">A concrete example is given about the integration of the specific Roman institution “Senate” into the cultic context of the Poleis in Asia Minor, pointing out actors and actions to incorporate the Senate into this specific socio-cultural environment.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Senatus – ΣΥΝΚΛΗΤΟΣ </span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">In contrast to other Roman institutions, the senate as object of cultic worship has characteristics that allow for a clearer differentiation between Roman and Greek view. The most important characteristic is linguistic: In contrast to the Latin senatus, the Greek Σύγκλητος is feminine, thus being the full denomination Ἱερὰ Σύγκλητος (to complement with Βουλή. The gender change had natural consequences for the representation of the Senate god (Senatsgottheit) in Asia Minor, since given the grammatical gender, actually a female personification ΣΥΝΚΛΗΤΟΣ ΒΟΥΛΗ or ΙΕΡΑ ΣΥΝΚΛΗΤΟΣ is to be expected. Therefore, it is understandable that despite the origin of the institution in the capital city, the personification as Genius Senatus was not adopted. The Genius Senatus has a fixed iconography by no later than the Flavian time. He is always represented as an old man with beard, long ideal features, locks of hair and wearing a toga. As the personification of the res publica the Genius Senatus usually appears with the markedly younger Genius Populi Romani, one of the earliest witnesses are the Cancelleria-Reliefs. The Genius Senatus basically differs in clothing and style of beard from most of the other genius that are represented as young men.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">This Roman city representation was not used in Asia Minor, but a female image according to the Greek usage was not conceived either, in analogy to representations of council meetings like Boulê or Gerousia. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">The cultic worship of a political council appears at first more astonishing than the worship of a person like an emperor; however, the Roman senate as a cult receiver has been proved without a doubt.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">In Asia as a senatorial province, the senate was perceived as an important political and legislative instance, particularly the honorific titles like Neokoros were awarded by the Senate. Therefore, it is understandable that still in Imperial times in interactions with Rome and also under the Poleis the Senate was perceived of crucial importance.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Even though the Senate surely was worshiped at city level under Augustus, the establishment as a provincial cult finally took place under Tiberius in Smyrna, where a temple was dedicated to Tiberius, the emperor mother Livia and the Senate as is told by Tacitus. Kienast convincingly interprets Tacitus stating that the Syncletos cult dates back to Tiberius. The foundation of this temple is shown on a coin from Smyrna (see Fig.1 in the paper): </span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Ob.: Syncletos as a young man with long hair and diademed head of Livia; </span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Rev.: togate Tiberius capite velato holding a simpuvium in his right hand.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">It is unlikely that a personification of Syncletos as young man existed already in the Augustean time. Surprisingly, the iconography corresponds not to the later Genius Senatus type, but rather to the Genius Populi Romani. The best parallels to the youthful, long-haired busts are to be found on one of the famous Boscoreale cups or already on the Ara Pacis. The new and quickly adopted usual type of the young genius with shoulder-long hair was therefore elaborated under Augustus, while the Genius Senatus as a personification of the Senate is a later invention.</span>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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