CLOACINA, SACRUM
a shrine of Cloacina, the divinity of the cloaca (cloaca
Maxima), in the forum near the Tabernae novae (
Liv. iii. 48:
prope
Cloacinae ad tabernas quibus nunc novis est nomen; Plaut. Curc. 471:
apud Cloacinae sacrum). In process of time Cloacina was arbitrarily
identified with Venus and called Venus Cloacina (Plin.
NH xv. 119 :
traditur myrtea verbena Romanos Sabinosque, cum propter raptas virgines
dimicare voluissent, depositis armis purgatos in eo loco qui nunc signa
Veneris Cloacinae habet; cluere enim antiqui purgare dicebant; cf.
Serv.
Aen. i. 720). The origin of the cult and the erection of the first
shrine belong probably to the first period in the history of the
CLOACA
MAXIMA (q.v.), although tradition ascribed it to Titus Tatius (Lact.
Inst.
i. 20. 11). Coins struck during the second triumvirate (Babelon, ii. 242;
Mussidia 6. 7;
WS 1902, 418-424; BM Rep. i. p. 574 n., 4242-54)
represent a small round structure with a metal balustrade, the legend
CLOACIN, and two female figures, one holding a flower, which evidently
represent Venus Cloacina. There is no doubt that this is the shrine
of which the foundations were discovered directly in front of the basilica
Aemilia in 1899-1901. The existing remains stand over the drain that
flows under the basilica, near the point where it empties into the cloaca
Maxima, and consist of a marble base, round except on the west side,
where it has a rectangular projection, 2.40 metres in diameter, resting
on a slab of travertine and eight courses of various kinds of stone. The
character of these courses shows that the foundation was gradually
raised as the basilica encroached upon it (
Mitt. 1893, 284;
1902, 45;
1905, 62-63;
BC 1900, 61-62;
1903, 97-99;
CR 1901, 138; HC 136-138;
Thed. 75, 257;
RE iv. 60-61 ; WR 245; DR 182-184;
JRS 1922, 21 ;
HFP 34; TF 74, on the other hand, assigns all the tufa courses to the
period of Sulla).
