Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and was known for her achievements in medicine, commerce, poetry, and the arts. Like the Greek goddess Athena, she was also known to have important temples in Rome. Her shrine on the Aventine in Rome was a meeting place for guilds of craftsmen, including at one time dramatic poets and actors.

Originally, she was an Italian goddess of crafts. Scholars believe that she was indigenous to the Romans derived from the Etruscan goddess Menrva and that her name came from meminisse, which means "to remember." She was also worshipped as part of the Capitoline Triad along with Jupiter and Juno. In legends, Aeneas, who was a great escapee from Troy, brought a statue of the goddess to Rome, which was believed to keep the city safe from harm and was placed inside the Temple of Vesta.

Her worship as a goddess of war was an encroachment on the realm of Mars, who was the primary god of war. During the time of the Eastern conquests, a temple dedicated to her was erected by the nobleman Pompey. Emperor Domitian pledged allegiance to Minerva and made her the focus of the city's worship.

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