Writing and Religious Traditions in the Ancient Western Mediterranean
open access | peer reviewed
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a cura di
- Lorenzo Calvelli - Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia - email orcid profile
- María Dolores Dopico Caínzos - Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, España - 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 Polytheistic inscriptions • Sanctuary • Aequi, pre-Roman sanctuaries • Hispania Citerior • Inscriptions • Callaecia • Latin inscriptions • Archaeological evidence • Clusium • Spring • Bronze votives • Ritual practices • High-Imperial epigraphy • Etruscan • Astarte • Theonymic formulas • Dedications • Ancient Iberia • Epigraphy • Thermal sanctuary • II Iron Age • Graffiti • Spatial analysis • Theonym • Roman • Fons calidus • Valle Sabbia • Written communication • Bronze • Celtiberia • Votive table • Religion • Religious practices • Urbanism • Devotional gestures • Rituals • Romanisation • Sanctuaries • Local divinities • Onomastics • Iuppiter Aeternus • Severan dynasty • Roman cult places • Valle Camonica • Phoenicians • Northwest • Romanization • Triangular mensa • Indigenous sanctuary • Ancient Rome • History • Ancient Italy • Integration • Cult • Pre-Roman Italy • Fortuna Primigenia • Hispania citerior • Votive deposits • Temples • Archaeology • Civica religio • Brescia/Brixia
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 it, es, en
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.