palladium of Rome?

[richsc]

I was intrigued by a chance Wikipedia article on the "palladium" of Rome. This was the first I'd heard of this Trojan (as in Aeneas) artifact coming to Rome and being buried eventually under a statue of Constantine. The article is brief; anyone know more about this legend?

[Epictetus]

Yes, you can find this story in Dionysius of Halicarnassus.

Dardanus, accordingly, left the statues in the city which he founded and named after himself, but when Ilium was settled later, they were removed thither by his descendants; and the people of Ilium built a temple and a sanctuary for them upon the citadel and preserved them with all possible care, looking upon them as sent from Heaven and as pledges of the city's safety. And while the lower town was being captured, Aeneas, possessing himself of the citadel, took out of the sanctuary the images of the Great Gods and the Palladium which still remained (for Odysseus and Diomed, they say, when they came into Ilium by night, had stolen the other away), and carrying them with him out of the city, brought them into Italy. Arctinus, however, says that only one Palladium was given by Zeus to Dardanus and that this remained in Ilium, hidden in the sanctuary, till the city was being taken; but that from this a copy was made, differing in no respect from the original, and exposed to public view, on purpose to deceive those who might be planning to steal it, and that the Achaeans, having formed such a plan, took the copy away. I say, therefore, upon the authority of the men above-mentioned, that the holy objects brought into Italy by Aeneas were the images of the Great Gods, to whom the Samothracians, of all the Greeks, pay the greatest worship, and the Palladium, famous in legend, which they say is kept by the holy virgins in the temple of Vesta, where the perpetual fire is also preserved; but concerning these matters I shall speak hereafter. And there may also be other objects besides these which are kept secret from us who are not initiated. But let this suffice concerning the holy objects of the Trojans.

Dion. I, 69.

But others declare that it is the Palladium that fell from Heaven, the same that was in the possession of the people of Ilium; for they hold that Aeneas, being well acquainted with it, brought it into Italy, whereas the Achaeans stole away the copy, — an incident about which many stories have been related both by poets and by historians. 6 For my part, I find from very many evidences that there are indeed some holy things, unknown to the public, kept by the virgins, and not the fire alone; but what they are I do not think should be inquired into too curiously, either by me of by anyone else who wishes to observe the reverence due to the gods.

Dion. II,66.

I don't think it is in Livy. Dionysius was trying very hard to tie Rome into Greek mythology so things like this were important to him.

Edit: But I don't know about the statue of Constantine legend. Obviously that was after Dionysius.

[Jona Lendering]

I know about Constantine. When he refounded Rome in Constantinople, he took the Paladium and buried it on its Forum, underneath the Column in the center. It is currently being restored, so who cares.

As to bringing an object from Troy to Rome, please note that at least a dozen cities claimed to have the original Palladium. It's like the relics of the True Cross, of which there are so many that -according to John Calvin- taken together you had enough wood to build a ship.

[Wander]

And enough "teeth of St. Peter" to fill a room! -- not to mention bones of the saints.

I believe the early Church attributed this property of mulitplication to some kind of minor miracle.