GENIUS

Genius was not a specific deity but rather an unlimited number of anonymous deities protecting groups of people and their places of activity. Collectively they were know as Genii.

The most important of the Genii, who looked after the Roman people as a whole, was referred to as "Genius Publicus Populi Romani" and is commonly seen on the reverse of late 3rd and early 4th century AD coins. There were also Genii for every level of human organization, including each district, town, street and house.

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