  in ancient roman religion, stata mater ("mother who stops or stabilizes") was a compital goddess who protected against fires. she had an image (simulacrum) in the forum,lawrence richardson, a new topographical dictionary of ancient rome (johns hopkins university press, 1992), p. 156. and her cultus, as festus notes, spread from there throughout the neighborhoods (vici) of the city.festus 416 (edition of lindsay): "an image of stata mater used to be venerated in the forum. after cotta paved it, so the stones wouldn't be damaged by fire, which occurred there at night quite frequently, a large segment of the population transmitted the goddess's cult into their own neighborhoods" (statae matris simulacrum in foro colebatur; postquam id cotta stravit, ne lapides igne corrumperentur, qui â plurimisâ  ibi fiebat nocturno tempore, magna pars populi in suos quique ucos rettulerunt eius deae cultum). the original statue was set up by an aurelius cotta who had supervised the installation of new pavement in the forum at the end of the 80s bc. the goddess's purpose was to safeguard the stonework from fire damage.john bert lott, the neighborhoods of augustan rome (cambridge university press, 2004), p. 167. only the lares augusti outnumber her as recipients of surviving dedications from compital shrines.lott, neighborhoods of augustan rome, p.189. ==in the neighborhoods== the cult of stata mater was centered on compital shrines of the vici, and numerous inscriptions to her were made by the heads of neighborhood associations (vicomagistri).for instance, ils 3306â9. her popularity attests to the everpresent threat and danger of fire in metropolitan rome. she is sometimes given the additional title augusta, perhaps in reference to the reorganization of the regions of rome under augustus in 7 bc.richardson, topographical dictionary, p. 428. one of the outcomes of this redistricting was to create local boards or neighborhood watches (vigiles) tasked with fire control, as a response to recent arson in the forum. the dedications mark the success of local fire brigades in putting out fires.lott, neighborhoods of augustan rome pp. 3, 79, 98, 168. one pairs stata mater augusta with volcanus quietus augustus, "the 'quieted' vulcan augustus."lott, neighborhoods of augustan rome, p. x. stata mater is perhaps to be identified with the fortuna augusta stata named in an inscription.cil 6.761 = ils 3308; richardson, topogr
Fire_goddesses Roman_goddesses