In Roman mythology, Cacus was a fire-breathing monster and the son of Hephaestus. He lived in a cave in the Palatine Hill in Italy, the future site of Rome. To the horror of nearby inhabitants, Cacus lived on human flesh and would nail the heads of victims to the doors of his cave. He was eventually overcome by Heracles. A head of Minerva found in the ruins of the Roman baths in Bath Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. ... This image is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... 17th century aviaries on the hill, built by Rainaldi for Odoardo Cardinal Farnese: once wirework cages surmounted them. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Alcides redirects here. ...

Hercules and Cacus
Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

According to Evander, Heracles stopped to pasture the cattle he had stolen from Geryon near Cacus' lair. As Heracles slept, the monster took a liking to the cattle and slyly stole eight of them - four bulls and four cows - by dragging them by their tails, so as to leave no trail. When Heracles awoke and made to leave, the remaining herd made plaintive noises towards the cave, and a single cow lowed in reply. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1280, 504 KB) Hercules and cacus by Bartolommeo Bandinelli; Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy Own photo - photo made on 12 October 2005 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1280, 504 KB) Hercules and cacus by Bartolommeo Bandinelli; Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy Own photo - photo made on 12 October 2005 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not... In Roman mythology, Evander (or Euandros) was a deific culture hero who brought the Greek pantheon, laws and alphabet to Rome sixty years before the Trojan War. ... Heracles fighting Geryon, amphora by the E Group, ca. ...

Angered, Heracles stormed towards the cave. A terrified Cacus blocked the entrance with a vast, immoveable boulder, forcing Heracles to tear at the top of the mountain to reach his adversary. Cacus attacked Heracles by spewing fire and smoke, while Heracles responded with tree branches and rocks the size of millstones. Eventually losing patience, Heracles leapt into the cave, aiming for the area where the smoke was heaviest. Heracles grabbed Cacus and strangled the monster, and was lauded throughout the land for his act.

Another version of the myth states that Cacus made the cattle walk backwards so they left no trail. Heracles drove his remaining cattle past a cave, where Cacus was hiding the stolen ones, and they began calling out to each other. Alternatively, Caca, Cacus' sister, told Heracles where he was. In Roman mythology, Caca was the sister of the fire-breathing giant Cacus. ...

In ancient Roman mythology, Cacus ("bad") was a fire god. He was later demoted to the giant described above. According to the Romans, after Hercules (the Roman Heracles) killed Cacus, he founded an altar, the Ara Maxima, where later the Forum Boarium, the cattle market of Rome, was held. Rome erected temples to Hercules in the area, including the still extant Temple of Hercules Victor. It is believed that a large stone in the nearby church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin is what is left of the Ara Maxima. A head of Minerva found in the ruins of the Roman baths in Bath Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Forum Boarium was the cattle market of ancient Rome. ... The Temple of Hercules Victor, in the Forum Boarium The Temple of Hercules Victor or Hercules Olivarius, located in the Forum Boarium in Rome, is a round temple of Greek peripteros (enclosed chamber) design. ... Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a church in Rome founded in the 6th century. ...

References

• March, J., Cassell's Dictionary Of Classical Mythology, London, 1999. ISBN 0-304-35161-X
• Coarelli, Filippo, Guida Archeologica di Roma, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milano, 1989.

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Cacus