Pietas

The Romans had many virtues which they all tried to achieve to become the 'model' Roman citizen. Below is a list of some of the main virtues desirable of all Romans. Even women were held to some of these standards! The list below is from Wikipedia, and each virtue has a link to its respective Wikipedia article for further explanation. 
 * [|Auctoritas] — "Spiritual Authority" — The sense of one's social standing, built up through experience, Pietas, and Industria.
 * Comitas — "Humour" — Ease of manner, courtesy, openness, and friendliness.
 * [|Constantia] — "Perseverance" — Military stamina, mental and physical endurance.
 * [|Clementia] — "Mercy" — Mildness and gentleness.
 * [|Dignitas] — "Dignity" — A sense of self-worth, personal pride.
 * [|Disciplina] — "Discipline" — Military oath under Roman protective law & citizenship.
 * [|Firmitas] — "Tenacity" — Strength of mind, the ability to stick to one's purpose.
 * [|Frugalitas] — "Frugality" — Economy and simplicity of style, without being miserly.
 * [|Gravitas] — "Gravity" — A sense of the importance of the matter at hand, responsibility and earnestness.
 * [|Honestas] — "Respectability" — The image that one presents as a respectable member of society.
 * [|Humanitas] — "Humanity" — Refinement, civilization, learning, and being cultured.
 * [|Industria] — "Industriousness" — Hard work.
 * [|Iustitia] — "Justice" — Sense of moral worth to an action.
 * ===[|Pietas] — "Dutifulness" — More than religious piety; a respect for the natural order socially, politically, and religiously. Includes the ideas of patriotism and devotion to others. ===
 * [|Prudentia] — "Prudence" — Foresight, wisdom, and personal discretion.
 * <span style="color: #461362; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Salubritas] — "Wholesomeness" — Health and cleanliness.
 * <span style="color: #461362; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Severitas] — "Sternness" — Gravity, self-control.
 * <span style="color: #461362; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Veritas] — "Truthfulness" — Honesty in dealing with others.

Instead of focusing on each virtue, which would be quite a task in and of itself, as a class we will be focusing on **//pietas//**. Aeneas is the embodiment of pietas. We will be examining this in more detail as we read the Aeneid.

[]-- This is an article about Aeneas, completely in Latin, which sums up the myth and showcases his pietas.

Click [|here] for Ovid's explanation of Aeneas' piety in the Metamorphoses. Begin at line 623.

[] –This is an English translation of Vergil’s Aeneid. You can use this to find examples of pietas. Bring examples to class which showcase Aeneas' pietas for discussion.