Original scientific paper
Matres Delmatarum The cult of Matres Magnae in Salona
Inga Vilogorac-Brčić
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The cult of Mothers (Matres) is confirmed by a series of material and epigraphic evidence in Gaul and Germania during the Roman times. The inscription from Lugdunum is dedication to Matribus Pannoniorum et Delmatarum (CIL 13, 1766). Autochthonous Mother goddesses, Matres Magnae, have only once secure confirmation in Dalmatia (AE 1912, 0042). They were worshipped in Salona by members of spiritual community named cognatio, which gathered worshippers of Venus and Great Mother Cybele. This paper gives an overview of cult of Matres in Salona and a new reading of the inscription from Tilurium which perhaps testifies to their sanctuary (CIL 3, 13972). Based on the assumption that the term Great Mothers referred not only to autochtonous goddessess, but also to Venus and Cybele, Mothers of Roman nation, it is concluded that the reason for their syncretism is the fact that they were worshipped as patronessess of the whole community; Roman citizens
identified autochthonous goddessess with their own, who had similar nature, and the local population continued to worship them, paying hommage to the Roman city, province and state in which they lived.
Keywords
Matres Magnae; Venus; Cybele; Lugdunum; Salona; Tilurium; cult; cognatio
Hrčak ID:
322471
URI
Publication date:
15.11.2024.
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