Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and crafts who was identified with the Greek goddess Athena. Romans associated her with wisdom, strategic warfare, poetry, medicine, commerce, and skilled handicrafts such as weaving.
Minerva belonged to Rome’s Capitoline Triad alongside Jupiter and Juno. Her principal temple stood on the Capitoline Hill, where the three deities received state worship. She was also honored at the Quinquatria, a festival held in March that became especially associated with students, teachers, writers, and artisans.
Roman tradition often treated Minerva and Athena as counterparts, but Minerva had an earlier Italian and possibly Etruscan background rather than being simply invented as a Roman copy. Like Athena, she was commonly shown wearing a helmet and carrying a shield or spear, with the owl as a symbol of wisdom. A frequent mix-up is confusing her with Diana, who was associated with hunting and the moon, or Vesta, who guarded the sacred hearth. Minerva’s distinctive sphere was intelligent skill joined to practical craftsmanship.