Roman Religion in the Danubian Provinces: Space Sacralisation and Religious Communication During the Principate (1st-3rd Century AD)

313 Pages·2022·7.547 MB·English

by  Csaba Szabó

Roman Religion in the
Danubian Provinces

Roman Religion in the
Danubian Provinces
Space sacralisation and religious communication
during the Principate (1st–3rd century AD)
Csaba Szabó
Oxford & Philadelphia
Published in the United Kingdom in 2022 by
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© Oxbow Books and the author 2022
Paperback Edition: ISBN 978-1-78925-783-0
Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-78925-784-7
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This book was supported by the Postdoctoral Research Grant PD NKFI-8 no. 127948 by the National
Research, Development, and Innovation Office of Hungary (2018–2021). See also:
www.danubianreligion.com.
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Front cover: Roman Mithraic relief from Dacia (Dragu, Sălaj county). Photo in custody of the National History
Museum of Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (inv. no. 15812).
Contents
List of illustrations ....................................................................................................................vi
List of abbreviations..................................................................................................................ix
Foreword ....................................................................................................................................xi
1. Introduction .....................................................................................................................1
2. Emerging Roman religion: the beginnings ..............................................................27
3. Lived religion and its macro-spaces in the Danubian provinces ..........................89
4. Space sacralisation in meso-spaces .........................................................................152
5. Religious experience in micro-spaces: housing the gods ....................................190
6. Conclusion: beyond the materiality of Roman religious communication ........198
Appendices
1. Sanctuaries in the Danubian provinces ...........................................................208
2. Divinities in the Danubian provinces ...............................................................225
3. Diagrams ................................................................................................................234
Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................247
Index ..........................................................................................................................................................294
List of figures
Fig. 1.1 General map of the Danubian provinces. (Source: Glomb 2021
open access with the special permission of the author).
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256356 3
Fig. 1.2 Political map of the Danubian region.
(Source: https://danube-region.eu/about/). Open access. 6
Fig. 1.3 Danube river basin. (Source: https://www.eea.europa.eu/).
Open access.
Fig. 1.4 Taxonomy of space sacralisation. (Source: the author) 18
Fig. 1.5 Materiality of religion used in space sacralisation.
(Source: the author) 20
Fig. 2.1 Map of Roman Raetia showing the settlements
discussed in Chapter 2. (Source: https://dh.gu.se/dare/).
Open access. 30
Fig. 2.2 Plan of Magdalensberg showing the district of
sacralised spaces. (Source: after Wikicommons). Open access. 37
Fig. 2.3 Funerary inventory of Luna Sol. priestess in Nagyberki-Szalacska.
(Source: Tóth 2015, 23, Fig. 3) 39
Fig. 2.4 Map of Roman Noricum showing the settlements discussed in
the Chapter 2. (Source: Țentea 2011, 229, pl. 1 with the special
permission of the author) 50
Fig. 2.5 Plan of the Noreia sanctuary in Hohenstein. (Source: Áron Hegedűs
and the author after Trunk 1991, 193, Fig. 136) 51
Fig. 2.6 Plan of the sanctuary in Burgstall in St Margarethen
in Levanttal. (Source: author after Groh-Sedlmeyer 2007, 31, abb. 1.) 54
Fig. 2.7 Plan of the sanctuary in Frauenberg. (Source: Áron Hegedűs
and the author after Schrettle 2016, 189, Fig. 5) 55
Fig. 2.8 Plan of the sanctuaries in Celeia. (Source: Áron Hegedűs
and the author after Krempus et al. 2007, 41, abb. 3) 57
Fig. 2.9 Map of Roman Pannonia showing the settlements discussed
in the Chapter 2. (Source: Țentea 2011, 229, pl. 1 with the special
permission of the author) 58
Fig. 2.10 Capitoline triad in Scarbantia, Pannonia. (Photo: Bolodár Zoltán,
with the permission of Museum of Sopron, Hungary) 59
Fig. 2.11 Relief of Silvanus in Aquincum. (Source: Lupa 10482,
photo of Ortolf Harl, with the special permission of the directorate
of Aquincum Museum, Budapest) 64
List of figures vii
Fig. 2.12 Relief of the Nutrices in Poetovio, Ptuj. (Source: Lupa 8763,
photo of Ortolf Harl, with the special permission of the
Pokrajinski muzej Ptuj – Ormoz) 66
Fig. 2.13 Lead votive plaque representing the so-called
‘Danubian Riders’. (Photo: Manfred Clauss, EDCS-44200062)
Open access. 74
Fig. 3.1 Genius of the publicum portorii Illyrici in Apulum.
(Source: Lupa 12238, photo of Ortolf Harl, with the special
permission of the National Museum of Union Alba Iulia) 91
Fig. 3.2 Altars discovered in the sanctuary of the beneficiarii station in
Sirmium (Source: after Mirković 2008 with the permission of
Nadežda Gavrilović Vitas). 95
Fig. 3.3 Relief of a Genius nautarum in Apulum. (Source: Lupa 19332-3,
photo of Ortolf Harl with the special permission of the
National Museum of Union Alba Iulia) 97
Fig. 3.4 Map of Roman Moesia Superior. (Source: Țentea 2011, 229, pl.
1. with the special permission of the author) 100
Fig. 3.5 The Iseum of Savaria. (Source: author) 101
Fig. 3.6 The Roman spring and sanctuary of Germisara.
(Source: after Szabó 2018b, photo of Aurora Pețan with the
special permission of the author) 104
Fig. 3.7 Urbanity and citification in religious communication.
(Source: author) 110
Fig. 3.8 Geographic distribution and density of votive inscriptions
in urban centres of the Danubian provinces. (Source: author). 113
Fig. 3.9 Urban plan of Aquincum with the most important sacralised
spaces attested. (Source: author from the DAS map) 114
Fig. 3.10 The so-called ‘Symphorus Mithraeum’ in Aquincum.
(Photo: author) 119
Fig. 3.11 Representation of an emperor (probably Septimius Severus)
with Jupiter Heliopolitanus. (Source: Lupa 11574, photo of
Ortolf Harl with the special permission of Archäologisches
Museum Carnuntum) 119
Fig. 3.12 Frontiers of the Roman Empire depicting the legionary
fortresses. (Source: https://www.univie.ac.at/limes) Open access. 124
Fig. 3.13 The plan of the forum in Virunum. (Source: author) 129
Fig. 3.14 The plan of the forum in Sarmizegetusa.
(Source: author after Piso 2017b) 131
Fig. 3.15 The plan of the forum in Oescus. (Source: author after
Kabakchieva 2014) 133
Fig. 3.16 Isis-Sothis relief in the Iseum of Savaria. (Source: with
special permission of the Museum of Savaria) 134
viii List of figures
Fig. 3.17 Itinerary of Titlus Iulius Capito in the Danubian provinces.
(Source: author after Țentea 2011) 136
Fig. 4.1 Life cycle of small group religions – a model. (Source: author) 156
Fig. 4.2 Altar dedicated to Glykon in Apulum. (Source: Lupa 11284–1,
photo by Ortolf Harl with the special permission of the
National Museum of Union Alba Iulia) 157
Fig. 4.3 Statue of Glykon in Tomis. (Source: Lupa 21360–1, photo
by Ortolf Harl with the special permission of the
National Museum of History and Archaeology in Constanța) 158
Fig. 4.4 Mithraic altar in Poetovio. (Source: Lupa 9330–1, photo by
Ortolf Harl with the special permission of Pokrajinski muzej
Ptuj – Ormoz Museum) 159
Fig. 4.5 Statue of Jupiter Dolichenus from the Dolichenum of Porolissum.
(Source: Lupa 20363, photo by Ortolf Harl, with the special
permission of the Museum of Zalău) 163
Fig. 4.6 Statue of Turmazgades Hero Romula, Dacia. (Source: Lupa 21951,
photo by Ortolf Harl with the special permission of the
National History Museum of Romania, București) 164
Fig. 4.7 Mithraic inscription, memorialisation of an initiation.
(Source: Lupa 9348, photo by Ortolf Harl with the special
permission of Pokrajinski muzej Ptuj – Ormoz Museum) 168
Fig. 4.8 Statue of Asclepius from Iuvavum, Noricum. (Source: with the
special permission of Salzburg Museum – Domgrabungsmuseum) 170
Fig. 4.9 Representation of the rain miracle at the column of Marcus
Aurelius. (Source: Wikicommons) Open access. 172
Fig. 4.10 Funerary relief representing Perseus and Andromeda Hero
Moosburg, Noricum. (Source: Lupa 1069, photo by Ortolf Harl,
Pfarrkriche St Michael und St Georg) Open access. 175
Fig. 4.11 Mithras Tauroctonos from Apulum. (Source: author,
after Szabó 2013) 177
Fig. 4.12 Victoria (Niké) killing the bull, Rome, Villa of Antoninus Pius.
(Source: British Museum, cat. no. 1805,0703.4.). 178
Fig. 4.13 Mithraic relief in Dragu, Dacia Porolissensis. (Source: after
Szabó 2012 with the special permission of the
National Museum of History of Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca) 180
Fig. 4.14 Cautes with bucranium in Apulum. (Source: author photo
after Szabó 2015b) 181
Fig. 5.1 Apollo statuette from Roman Dacia. (Source: Kunsthistorisches
Museum Wien, Antikensammlung) Open access:
https://www.khm.at/objektdb/detail/66805/. 192
Fig. 6.1 Roman monuments integrated in the Orthodox Church
of Densuș, Transylvania. (Source: author) 207
List of abbreviations
AÉ L’Année Épigraphique.
ANRW Haase, W. – Temporini, H. (eds), Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen
Welt/Rise and Decline of the Roman World. Geschichte und Kultur Roms
im Spiegel der neueren Forschung. Berlin-New York, 1972–???.
BBRD Boda, I. – Szabó, C., Bibliography of Roman Religion in Dacia. Cluj-
Napoca, 2014.
CCID Hörg, M. – Schwertheim, E., Corpus Cultus Iovis Dolicheni, Études
préliminaires aux religions orientales dans l’Empire romain 106.
Leiden, 1987.
CIGD Ruscu, L., Corpus inscriptionum Graecarum Dacicarum, Hungarian Polis
Studies 10. Debrecen, 2003.
CIL Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. Consilio et auctoritate Academiae
Litterarum Regiae Borussicae editum.
CIMRM Vermaseren, M. J., Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis
Mithriacae I–II. The Hague, 1956–1960.
Clauss-Slaby Epigraphik Dantebank Clauss-Slaby.
CSIR Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani.
DAS The Digital Atlas of Roman Sanctuaries in the Danubian Provinces.
DMA Digital Map of Apulum.
EDH Epigraphic Database Heidelberg.
EPRO Études préliminaires aux religions orientales dans l’Empire romain
(founded by M. J. Vermaseren).
HA Scriptores historiae Augustae.
IDR Inscriptiones Daciae Romanae I–III. București/Paris, 1975.
IG Inscriptiones Graecae.
IGLN J. Kolendo – V. Božilova (eds), Inscriptions Greques et Latines de Novae
(Mésie Inférieure). Bordeaux 1997.
IGUR Inscriptiones Graecae Urbis Romae I–IV. Rome, 1971–1990.
ILD Petolescu, C. C., Inscripţii latine din Dacia (Inscriptiones Latinae Dacicae).
București, 2005.
ILJug Šašel, Anna – Šašel, Jaroslav, Inscriptiones latinae quae in Iugoslavia
inter annos MCMII et MCMXL repertae et editae sunt. Ljubljana,
Situla, 1986.
ILS Dessau, Hermann, Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae. Berlin, 1892–1916,
3 vols.