Religious Diversity Flashcards
How true would it be to say that religion (excluding Christianity) was more diverse at military sites and large cities than in smaller towns and rural settlements and how would you account for any differences?
What 2 regions can be used as examples for this possible exam question?
The Alps (and Noricum, Dalmatia and Pannonia) and Greece (and Thrace, the eastern Danube lands and Dacia)
Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Alps region?
Virunum and Carnuntum
What can Virunum tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Zollfeld, Austria. Capital of the Roman province of Noricum, inscriptions and archaeological remains indicate the worship of various roman deities such as Jupiter, Juno, Mars, as well as local Celtic gods like Belenus and Norico
What can Carnuntum tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Petronell-Carnuntum. Was a Roman legionary fortress and headquarters of the Pannonian fleet from 50 AD. After the 1st century, it was capital of the Pannonia Superior province. Strategic military site along the Danube river, home to a diverse population including Roman legionaries and civilians. Inscriptions found here attest to the worship of Roman deities such as Jupiter OM and Mars, and local Celtic deity Belenus - ‘bright one’ - (healing god associated with Apollo)
Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Noricum region?
Celeia and Teurnia
What can Celeia tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Celje, Slovenia. Celeia was an important urban centre in Noricum. Inscriptions and archaeological findings from Celeia reveal a blend of Roman and indigenous religious deities, with dedications to Roman gods like Jupiter and Hercules along with local Celtic deities
What can Teurnia tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day St. Peter in Holz, Austria. Was a Roman town located in Carinthia, Austria. Temple dedicated to Grannus, the Celtic counterpart deity of Asclepius, god of medicine and healing, but in Teurnia invoked as Grannus Apollo.
Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Dalmatia region?
Salona and Narona
What can Salona tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Solin, Croatia. Capital of the Roman province Dalmatia - major urban centre. Many inscriptions in both Latin and Greek have been found both inside the walls and in the cemeteries outside - mention worship of both Roman and local deities - including Christianity. Archaeological evidence attests to the city’s prosperity and integration into the Roman Empire. Basilica highlights the transition from pagan to Christian religious practices in the region
What can Narona tell us about religious diversity?
Neretva valley in present-day Bosnia. Dedications on inscriptions to Jupiter, Diana and Silvonas and Noiades.
Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Pannonia region?
Aquiricum and Scarbantia
What can Aquiricum tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Budapest, Hungary. Significant Roman military and civilian settlement in Pannonia. Inscriptions and archaeological finds indicate the rosehip of Roman gods, including Jupiter, Mars, Fortuna, and Mithraic altars.
What can Scarbantia tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Hungary. Roman town - inscriptions mention the veneration of Roman deities such as Jupiter, Minerva and Mercury reflecting the religious diversity of smaller urban centres in Pannonia
Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the region of Greece?
Corinth and Petra
What can Corinth tell us about religious diversity?
Prominent Roman colony in Greece. Inscriptions and archaeology demonstrate dual worship of Roman and local deities. Under the Romans, Corinth was rebuilt as a major city in Southern Greece or Achaia. It had a large mixed population of Romans, Greeks, and Jews. The city was an important locus for activities of The Roman Imperial Cult, and both Temple E and the Julian Basilica have been suggested as locations of imperial cult activity
What can Petra tell us about religious diversity?
Inscriptions to Neptune, Heracles, Mercury. An inscription to Liber Pater, a god revered by Emperor Septimius Severus, was found in the temenos of the temple known as Qasr al-Bint, and Nabataean tombs contained silver coins with the emperor’s portrait, as well as pottery from his reign. Emperor Elagabalus declared Petra to be a Roman colony, when he reorganised the Roman Empire towards the end of the 3rd century.
Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the region of Thrace?
Adrianople and Deultum
What can Adrianople tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Turkey. City in Thrace. The city was reestablished by the Roman Emperor Hadrian on the site of Orestias (named after its mythological founder Orestes), which was itself built on a previous Thracian settlement. Hadrian developed it, adorned it with monuments, and changed its name to Hadrianopolis. Inscriptions to Roman deities and evidence for Mithraic cults
What can Deultum tell us about religious diversity?
Evidence for temples dedicated to Asclepius and Cybele. Roman colony and military outpost. Mithraic cults of Roman soldiers. In 2020, archaeologists discovered a sarcophagus from the 2nd or 3rd century AD with a Greek inscription which proved that Deultum was a port town.
Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the region of Dacia?
Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa and Apulum
What can Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa tell us about religious diversity?
Capital of Roman Dacia. Possibly built over a temporary camp of the Fifth Macedonian Legion, it soon was settled by the retired veterans who had served in the Dacian Wars. Besides the temple dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, which marked the city as the religious centre of Dacia, in the beginning of the 3rd century a temple for the Palmyrene gods was dedicated.
What can Apulum tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Alba Iulia, Romania. major Roman settlement and military camp. Inscriptions indicate dedications to Roman deities such as Jupiter, Mars, Mercury - also evidence of Mithraic cults
Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Danube lands?
Viminacium and Aquae
What can Viminacium tell us about religious diversity?
Modern day Serbia. Significant city and Roman camp located along the Danube river. Inscriptions mention the worship of roman gods such as Jupiter Dolichenus, Hercules Magusanus and Mithras. Presence of temples, shrines and religious artefacts.
