Review article
On the cults of Antiquity in Croatia
Mirjana Sanader
Abstract
Croatian museums, like the museums of all countries whose territory
was once encompassed by the Roman Empire, hold numerous
monuments which testify to the piety of Roman citizens. And since
the Romans, as stated by Pliny (N.H. 6,56), considered themselves
the most pious of all peoples, this large number of preserved cult
artefacts is not in the least surprising. In the alliance of peoples and
deities in old Rome, its citizens always and everywhere observed
established cult rituals, offered sacrifices and addressed prayers, so
to this day there are numerous preserved altars, votive inscriptions
and reliefs and sculptures both large and small. By the same token,
temples and shrines, or simply inscriptions, have also been preserved
which additionally speak of their existence.
Roman religion was also greatly influenced by the other peoples
with whom the Romans came into contact, most notably the Greeks.
Besides those deities which were originally Roman, and which besides
their own attributes assumed some of those of Greek gods under
the influence of Greek mythology and iconography, the Romans also
worshipped certain Oriental deities, as well as certain indigenous
deities whose cults they found in the provinces that they conquered.
A certain number of cult monuments from Croatia’s territory testify to
this Roman religious practice of worshipping indigenous deities in the
provinces in addition to Roman and Oriental gods.
Keywords
Croatia; cults of Antiquity; indigenous cults; Roman cults; Oriental cults
Hrčak ID:
31106
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2008.
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