Antichistica

Writing and Religious Traditions in the Ancient Western Mediterranean

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open access | peer reviewed

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

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, it, en

Sottoserie Storia ed epigrafia e-ISSN 2610-8291 ISSN 2610-8801

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.