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