Ceres was the Roman goddess of grain, agriculture, and the earth. She was often associated with Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, fertility, and wheat. This is shown through the word Ceres which comes from the Latin root “cer,” meaning “to grow.”

Ceres is often depicted forming a trio with the gods Liber and Libera. Liber was the god of fertility, nature, and wine. Libera was his female counterpart.

Ceres is often depicted alongside symbols representing the harvest. Oftentimes, she is shown wearing garlands of wheat. In American depictions, corn is often substituted for wheat in order to connect Ceres to the common crops of America. Other times, Ceres is shown alongside cornucopias or other crops.

Here, Ceres is shown holding both a wheat sheaf and a cornucopia. ("Livia Drusilla, standing marble sculpture as Ops, with wheat sheaf and cornucopia. Marble, Roman artwork, 1st century CE.Links to an external site." by ChrisOLinks to an external site. is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0Links to an external site.)

In Roman mythology, Ceres was closely connected with the common people, or plebeians. Oftentimes, farmers would sacrifice to her before the harvest and would give her the first of their crops.

"Ceres Goddess of AgricultureLinks to an external site." by Clker-Free-Vector-ImagesLinks to an external site. is licensed under CC0 1.0Links to an external site.

Several Roman festivals were held to honor Ceres. “Ludi Ceriales” was held Apr. 12-19 and was primarily attended by plebeians. Horse races were commonly held during the festival. “Feriae Sementivae” was held in January and featured a week-long break from sowing the fields. A pregnant sow was typically sacrificed to Ceres and Tellus, the earth goddess. Finally, “sacrum anniversarium Cereris” in August was attended exclusively by women. All attendees wore white. The festival was similar to Thesmophoria, a Greek festival for Demeter.