Writing and Religious Traditions in the Ancient Western Mediterranean
open access | peer reviewed
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edited by
- 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 Bronze votives • Local divinities • Sanctuary • History • Thermal sanctuary • Triangular mensa • Callaecia • Roman cult places • Fortuna Primigenia • Valle Camonica • Integration • Rituals • Indigenous sanctuary • Archaeological evidence • Onomastics • Bronze • Celtiberia • Northwest • Valle Sabbia • Urbanism • Temples • Ancient Italy • Brescia/Brixia • Cult • Fons calidus • Hispania Citerior • Phoenicians • Etruscan • Civica religio • Iuppiter Aeternus • Pre-Roman Italy • Latin inscriptions • Ancient Iberia • Polytheistic inscriptions • Severan dynasty • Votive table • Aequi, pre-Roman sanctuaries • Votive deposits • High-Imperial epigraphy • Theonym • Religion • Theonymic formulas • Written communication • Spring • Graffiti • Religious practices • Epigraphy • Spatial analysis • Clusium • Astarte • Romanisation • Ancient Rome • Dedications • Romanization • Sanctuaries • Archaeology • Inscriptions • II Iron Age • Ritual practices • Devotional gestures • Roman • Hispania citerior
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 | Published Sept. 24, 2025 | Language en, es, 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.