Castor and Pollux 1

The Dioskouroi, legendary twins born to the Spartan queen Leda, one fathered by Zeus, the other by her husband, King Tyndareus, were popular throughout antiquity as gods helpful to men, particularly at times of crisis. In Greek, they were known as the Dioskouroi, Castor and Polydeuces, in Latin as the Castores, Castor and Pollux. One of the first monumental structures in the Roman Forum was a temple dedicated to the twins in the early fifth century BC after they brought victory to the dictator A. Postumius at the battle of Lake Regillus in 484 BC. The temple was rebuilt several times, and the cult remained important through the imperial period. These decorative statuettes show the brothers with their traditional attributes, as horsemen, wearing felt caps and short cloaks and holding a sheathed sword or dagger.