Writing and Religious Traditions in the Ancient Western Mediterranean
open access | peer reviewed
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a cura di
- Lorenzo Calvelli - Ca' Foscari University of Venice - email orcid profile
- María Dolores Dopico Caínzos - Universidade de Santiago de Compostela - email orcid profile
Abstract
From the sacred spaces of the Iberian Peninsula to those of Italy and the surrounding islands, this volume opens a window onto the vibrant world of ancient religions as seen through the lens of epigraphy. Inscriptions are investigated as objects conveying written messages that could circulate among humans but were also addressed to the divine. Their analysis contributes to the understanding of rituals and gestures that have long disappeared but that can be reconstructed through a refined interdisciplinary approach. By weaving epigraphy with archaeological evidence and literary sources, the book conjures a rich tapestry of individual and collective practices, offering readers not only accomplished scholarship but also a vivid journey into the multifaceted universe of sanctuaries in the ancient Mediterranean.
Keywords Religion • Rituals • Roman cult places • Cult • Spring • Sanctuaries • II Iron Age • Brescia/Brixia • Indigenous sanctuary • Graffiti • Latin inscriptions • Local divinities • Romanization • Inscriptions • Sanctuary • Valle Camonica • Celtiberia • Religious practices • Dedications • Roman • Votive deposits • Spatial analysis • Devotional gestures • Votive table • Ritual practices • Written communication • Severan dynasty • Triangular mensa • Theonymic formulas • Astarte • Fons calidus • Hispania Citerior • History • Phoenicians • Polytheistic inscriptions • Onomastics • Fortuna Primigenia • Ancient Iberia • Archaeology • Archaeological evidence • Bronze votives • Clusium • Etruscan • Romanisation • Iuppiter Aeternus • Thermal sanctuary • Integration • Theonym • Northwest • Aequi, pre-Roman sanctuaries • Ancient Rome • Callaecia • Civica religio • Urbanism • Bronze • Pre-Roman Italy • Epigraphy • High-Imperial epigraphy • Hispania citerior • Ancient Italy • Valle Sabbia • Temples
Thema codes QRAX • NKX • 1QB • 3CT
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-931-3 | e-ISBN 978-88-6969-931-3 | ISBN (PRINT) 978-88-6969-932-0 | Pubblicato 24 Settembre 2025 | Lingua es, en, it
Copyright © 2025 Lorenzo Calvelli, María Dolores Dopico Caínzos. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.