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rule of the Tarquins that merchants began to ply their trade. Doubtless the merchants practised their religious ceremonies from the first, but their god Mercurius was not officially recognized by the See also:

state till the See also:

YEAR

year 495 B.C. See also:

Rome frequently suffered from scarcity of See also:

GRAIN (derived through the French from Lat. granum, seed, from an Aryan root meaning " to wear down," which also appears in the common Teutonic word " corn ")

grain during the unsettled times that followed the See also:

EXPULSION (Lat. expulsio, from expellere)

expulsion of the Tarquins. Various religious innovations were made to propitiate the gods; in 496 the Greek See also:

WORSHIP (i.e. " worth-ship," O. Eng. weor8scipe)

worship of See also:

DEMETER

Demeter, See also:

DIONYSUS (probably = " son of Zeus," from & Os and vv(7os, a Thracian word for " son ")

Dionysus and Persephone was established in the See also:

CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city, and in 495 the Greek god Hermes was introduced into Rome under the Italian name of Mercurius (See also:

LIVY [Thus L1v1us] (59 B.C.—A.D: 17)

Livy H. 21, 27), as See also:

PROTECTOR

protector of the grain trade, especially with See also:

SICILY (Ital. Sicilia)

Sicily. See also:

Preller thinks that at the same See also:

time the trade in grain was regulated by See also:

law and a See also:

REGULAR

regular See also:

COLLEGE (Collegium)

college or gild of merchants instituted. This college was under the See also:

PROTECTION

protection of the god; its See also:

ANNUAL

annual festival was on the 15th (the ides) of May, on which See also:

day the See also:

temple of the god had been dedicated at the See also:

SOUTHERN

southern end of the See also:

CIRCUS (Lat. circus, Gr. Kipeos or Kptxot, a ring or' circle; probably " circus " and " ring " are of the same origin)

Circus See also:

Maximus, near the Aventine; and the members were called mercuriales as well as mercatores. See also:

MOMMSEN, THEODOR (1817–1903)

Mommsen, howeverconsiders the mercuriales to be a purely See also:

LOCAL

local, gild—the See also:

pagan of the Circus valley. The 15th of May was chosen as the feast of Mercury, obviously because See also:

MAIA

Maia was the See also:

MOTHER

mother of Hermes, that is of Mercury; and she was worshipped along with her son by the mercuriales on this day.

According to Preller, this religious See also:

FOUNDATION (Lat. fundatio, from fundare, to found)

foundation had a See also:

POLITICAL

political See also:

OBJECT

object; it established on a legitimate and sure basis the trade between Rome and the Greek colonies of the coast, whereas formerly this trade had been exposed to the capricious interference of See also:

government officials. Like all borrowed religions in Rome, it must have retained the See also:

RITES

rites and the terminology of its Greek See also:

ORIGINAL

original (See also:

Festus p. 257). Mercury became the god, not only of the mercatores and of the grain trade, but of buying and selling in See also:

general; and it appears that, at least in the streets where shops were See also:

COMMON

common, little chapels and images of the god were erected. There was a See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring dedicated to Mercury between his temple and the Porta See also:

CAPENA

Capena; every shopman See also:

drew See also:

WATER

water from this spring on the 15th of May, and sprinkled it with a See also:

LAUREL

laurel twig over his See also:

head and over his goods, at the same time entreating Mercury to remove from his head and his goods the See also:

GUILT

guilt of all his deceits (See also:

OVID [PUBLIUS OvID1us NASO] (43 B.C.–A.D. 17)

Ovid, See also:

FASTI

Fasti, v. 673 seq.). The word mercurialis was popularly used as See also:

EQUIVALENT

equivalent to " cheat." k Roman statuettes of See also:

BRONZE

bronze, in which Mercury is represented, like the Greek Hermes, See also:

STANDING

standing holding the See also:

CADUCEUS (the Lat. adaptation of the Doric Gr. KapvKewv, Attic /070K CAI)

caduceus or See also:

STAFF (O. Eng. staef, cf. Du. staf, Ger. Stab, &c.; Icel. stafr meant also a written letter, and O. Eng. stafas, the letters of the alphabet; " stave," one of the thin pieces of wood of which a cask is made, is a doublet)

staff in the one See also:

hand and a See also:

PURSE (Late Lat. bursa, adapted from Gr. Gupta, hide, skin; possibly O. Eng. pusa, bag, has influenced the change from b to p)

purse in the other (an See also:

ELEMENT (Lat. elementum)

element very rare in purely Hellenic representations), are exceedingly common.

End of Article: MERCURY (MERCU1uus)

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