Rome Builds Temple to Venus After Devastating Defeat at Lake Trasimene
They built a shrine to a goddess of desire right after losing an army. In 215 BC, panic drove Rome's leaders to dedicate Venus Erycina on the Capitoline Hill following the massacre at Lake Trasimene. That defeat cost thirty thousand lives and shattered their confidence in the gods. They thought a new temple would buy back victory against Hannibal. It didn't. But it did remind everyone that even the most desperate prayers can't stop a general's mistake.
April 23, 215 BC
Key Figures & Places
Roman Empire
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Capitoline Hill
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Venus Erycina
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Battle of Lake Trasimene
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A temple
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Roman Empire
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Roman Republic
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Temple of Venus Erycina (Capitoline Hill)
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Capitoline Hill
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Venus (mythology)
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Battle of Lake Trasimene
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Siglo III a. C.
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Lago Trasimeno
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