Felicitas

Abstract Felicitas, the Roman embodiment of the good luck granted to virtuous men, brought martial and political success. During the Republic, Felicitas was claimed by Roman commanders celebrating the divine gift of good luck on the battlefield. With Augustus, Felicitas became part of the constellation of imperial virtues. The assimilation of Felicitas and Fortuna during the Roman Empire combined public felicity with fertility. The quality was personified on Roman coinage, appearing as a draped woman, standing, holding a caduceus and a cornucopia. Felicitas continued to represent divinely‐provided good fortune and fertility of the state for Christian writers.