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9789047428480 Webready Con Roman Gods Religions in the Graeco-Roman World Editors H. S. Versnel D. Frankfurter J. Hahn VOLUME 167 Religions in the Roman Gods Graeco-Roman World A Conceptual Approach Editors H. S. Versnel by D. Frankfurter Michael Lipka J. Hahn VOLUME 167 LEIDEN • BOSTON 2009 This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched. More information about the initiative can be found at www.knowledgeunlatched.org. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lipka, Michael. Roman gods : a conceptual approach / by Michael Lipka. p. cm. — (Religions in the Graeco-Roman world ; v. 167) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 978-90-04-17503-7 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Gods, Roman. 2. Rome (Italy)—Religion. 3. God—History of doctrines. I. Title. II. Series. BL805.L56 2009 292.2’11—dc22 2009000335 ISSN 0927-7633 ISBN 978 90 04 17503 7 Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. This work is published by Koninklijke Brill NV. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi and Hotei Publishing. Koninklijke Brill NV reserves the right to protect the publication against unauthorized use and to authorize dissemination by means of offprints, legitimate photocopies, microform editions, reprints, translations, and secondary information sources, such as abstracting and indexing services including databases. Requests for commercial re-use, use of parts of the publication, and/or translations must be addressed to Koninklijke Brill NV. This book is printed on acid-free paper and produced in a sustainable manner. CONTENTS Acknowledgements ..................................................................... vii List of Illustrations ...................................................................... ix Introduction ................................................................................ 1 Chapter One Constituent Concepts ........................................ 11 1. Space .................................................................................. 11 2. Time ................................................................................... 30 3. Personnel ............................................................................ 51 4. Function ............................................................................. 66 5. Iconography ....................................................................... 88 6. Ritual .................................................................................. 103 Chapter Two Conceptualization ............................................. 117 1. Adoption ............................................................................ 117 2. Dei cation .......................................................................... 127 3. Differentiation .................................................................... 132 4. Dissolution ......................................................................... 142 Chapter Three A Test Case: The Secular Games of 17 B.C. .................................................................................... 147 1. Celebrations ....................................................................... 147 2. Carmen Saeculare ................................................................... 159 Chapter Four Concepts and Society ....................................... 167 1. The Élite ............................................................................ 168 2. The Underprivileged ......................................................... 177 3. Women ............................................................................... 181 Chapter Five Conclusions ........................................................ 187 Bibliography ................................................................................ 195 Index ........................................................................................... 211 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writing of this book has been made possible by the generosity of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, which funded the project from 2002 to 2004. Widu-Wolfgang Ehlers was benevolent with his trust and the time he spent on the project, as was the anonymous referee for the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Before publication, I was most fortunate to be guided on my perilous journey by two doyens of the study of Roman religion. Henk Versnel led the book to completion by cautioning my adventurous temper and saving me from many an abyss when I was drifting off course in waters unknown to me. John North further steered me through the Symple- gades of modern scholarship and showed me land when I was about to lose sight of it in the fog. It was their unstinting support and unfailing guardianship that nally dragged me ashore safely. Now that the voyage is over, I am almost sorry that I have run out of excuses to tax their nerves with new ‘splendid’ ideas about my hazardous itinerary. Ivo Romein, former religious studies editor at Brill, supported the pub- lication of the manuscript from the very rst moment with enthusiasm and determination. When Maarten Frieswijk and Anita Roodnat- Opdam took over, they were just as supportive and helpful in every conceivable (and inconceivable) way. I am also deeply indebted to Brian McNeil, who checked the English of the whole book, and whose comments not seldom made me think twice about what I was actually intending to say. Again I feel obliged to express my sincere gratitude towards the Blegen Library at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the customary kindness of its staff. The only reason why this book is not dedicated to my ever patient wife and children is my wish to avoid being tediously repetitive. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1a: Aedicula of Isis-Fortuna at S. Martino ai Monti, reconstruction (Vittozzi 1993, 222 g. 56) ............................. 86 Fig. 1b: Statue of Isis-Fortuna from the aedicula at S. Martino ai Monti (Vittozzi 1993, 225 g. 59) ...................................... 87 Fig. 2a and b: Coin of M. Plaetorius Cestianus (Alföldi 1954, 27 g. 2 and 29 g. 10) .......................................................... 96 Fig. 3: Isis-Fortuna from Herculaneum; Naples, National Museum (LIMC V.2, s.v. Isis, g. 305e) .................................. 98 Fig. 4: Isis-Fortuna, marble statue from Rome, Vatican Museums (Amelung/Lippold, Skulpturen III.1 pl. liii, g. 594) .................................................................................... 99 Fig. 5: Isis-Demeter on a relief found in Rome, Via della Conciliazione (LIMC IV.2, s.v. Demeter/Ceres, g. 170) ........... 100 Fig. 6: Isis-Demeter on a wall-painting in a house under the Baths of Caracalla (Iacopi 1985, 616 g. 20) ........................ 101 Acknowledgement is made to the following for the permission to reproduce illustrations: «L’Erma» di Bretschneider ( g. 1a and b) Musei Capitolini, Rome ( g. 5) Musei Vaticani, Rome ( g. 4) Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples ( g. 3) Schweizer Münzblätter ( g. 2a and b) Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma ( g. 6) Acknowledgement is made to the following for the permission to INTRODUCTION reproduce illustrations: This book is concerned with the concept of ‘god’ in the city of Rome, «L’Erma» di Bretschneider ( g. 1a and b) as it was, by and large, con ned within the Aurelian Walls. The book’s Musei Capitolini, Rome ( g. 5) timeframe is the early Republic up to the era of Constantine, i.e. from Musei Vaticani, Rome ( g. 4) ca. 500 B.C. to 350 A.D. I will sometimes draw on material that falls Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples ( g. 3) outside these local and chronological boundaries, most notably in the Schweizer Münzblätter ( g. 2a and b) case of the cult of Dea Dia, which although situated at the fth mile- Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma ( g. 6) stone of the Via Campana is immediately relevant to the situation in Rome. The concept of ‘god’ forms an important part of the broader category of ‘Roman Religion’ but it is not identical with it. In other words, this book is limited to the single concept that was normally labeled ‘deus’ by the inhabitants of Rome. It refers to other concepts which belong to the sphere of ‘Roman Religion’ only as constituents of this concept of ‘god’. These constituent concepts could not be discussed in their own right due to the lack of space and in order not to blur the clarity of the main argument. Before embarking on my own project I will attempt to sketch some main lines of interpretation in modern scholarship. These lines are not always clearly visible and straight. There were numerous intersections and revisions not only in the work of adherents of different schools, but often within the œuvre of a single scholar. Since it would be pre- sumptuous to try to summarize here the tortuous path of scholarship on Roman religion in general I will concentrate on those aspects that are relevant to my own enterprise. Although the concept of ‘god’ cannot always be completely detached from the wider term ‘Roman religion,’ emphasis, as I have said above, will be laid on the former. Twentieth-century-scholarship on Roman Religion in general, and on the Roman concept of ‘god’ in particular, begins
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