Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Areas where religious rituals took place in the Roman world varied: Temples, altars, city squares, open air ritual areas and cemeteries as well as houses were all places that hosted rituals. House rituals are of two different types. The first are those that are carried out by family members, in accordance with the cult as defined and accepted by the state. In the second type, the family practices its own rituals with the paterfamilias assuming the role of the priest. In both types, “house” during the ritual is a cult area that is immune to outside interference and governance and is a protected space. Overall house rituals feature lares, genius and dii penates cults and practices related to those, the similarities and differences of which are studied in this article. The subject is evaluated based on archaeological evidence and the information provided by ancient sources, accompanied by discussions of the places inside houses where rituals took place. In particular, lararia across Roman cities are introduced with examples, with the primary city being Pompeii. In addition, taking the rock-cut tomb with a temple façade in Olba as an example, it is proposed that naiskos niches in the burial chambers likely each represent a lararium.
Author: Tuna Akçay
Institution: Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University
Language: Turkish
Topic: Classical Antiquity Studies
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3003484683