Location of Domestic Rituals in the Roman Empire: An Interprovincial Comparison

Abstract

Concerning the location of domestic cults a homogenous practice within the entire Roman empire is generally assumed. When the placement of domestic shrines and other cultic installations is discussed, it is usually in terms of conceptual differentiations like private or public spaces (atrium, peristyle vs. kitchen, cubicula). In so far, however, the problem arises, that ‘privateness’ as a modern concept is difficult to grasp in Roman houses. In contrast to that problem-laden approach the paper focuses on the physical setting of domestic shrines within the house. Based on methods of architectural sociology the location of these cultic installations, their accessibility and their integration into the domestic structure are analysed and measured. These quantifiable parameters enable interprovincial comparisons: Using the best-known structures in the Vesuvius area as a starting point and comparative basis the location and shape in different regions of the Roman Empire are examined with the result that the setting and design of domestic shrines and the ritual activities taking place there are characterized by the use of Italic models, the transmission of local traditions or even the development of new forms.

História, memória e morte do imperador romano Gordiano III (III-V d.C.)

“…Esses dados extraídos de estatuto jurídico do Código Teodosiano sobre as práticas religiosas domésticas também podem ser encontrados em cultura material e as evidências provenientes das Casas-Terraço da cidade de Éfeso é um caso ímpar. Desde 2005, com a publicação de resultados das escavações, em Éfeso, sobre as Casas-Terraço, temos estudos significativos e detalhados sobre as unidades residenciais 1, 2, 4, 7 da Casa-Terraço 2 e sobre o culto imperial em espaço doméstico e privado (YANDEK, 2013, p. 105;THÜR, 2005;KRINZINGER, 2010;RATHMAYR, 2020;2017;ZIMMERMANN, 2019). As Casas-Terraço são, conforme define Amy C. Yandek (2013, p. 102), uma série de casas de indivíduos da elite construídas na encosta acima do fórum principal de Éfeso romana, e consistem em duas unidades principais de construção, Hanghaus 1 e Hanghaus 2.…”