ANCIENT HISTORYTERM 4 2009CORE STUDY – POMPEII & HERCULANEUM

William Jeffery

TASK 1 – RESEARCH/SOURCE ANALYSIS: RELIGION

Religion was of great importance to the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and governed their everyday life on a public and a personal level. Similar to the Egyptians, the Pompeiians life was devoted solely to the practices of their religious beliefs, aiming to appease their many gods through offerings, rituals and sacrifices to maintain a civil and plentiful society. Vulcan, god of forge, fire and blacksmiths[1], was one such god whom the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum sought to appease him with the celebration of Volcanalia through the sacrifice of small fish on the 23rd of August[2]. It was on the 24th of August AD79 that the eruption of Vesuvius occurred and Pompeii and Herculaneum saw their last day as a civilisation.

One aspect of religion in Pompeii and Herculaneum was the official cults that were encouraged by the central Roman administration. These cults, which either worshipped state gods such as Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, or emperors, further cemented Rome’s influence in provincial outposts such as Pompeii. Evidence that has been uncovered in Pompeii of how Roman ‘religion was integrated into social and political life’[3], is found in the Forum[4]. The Capitolium[5] ‘dominated the open space’[6] of the Forum and ‘symbolised the religious and political union of the Roman state’[7]. Consulting the map Bradley supplies of the temples around the Forum of Pompeii[8], we see that the Capitolium was the only building built within the open space of the forum and was built at the head of the forum. This appears to be a Romanesque trait, as the Plan of the Imperial Fora[9], shows all Fora containing a central building built, occupying the open space of the Forum and generally positioned at the head of the Forum. The Romans, on their quest for dominance, applied this template to integrate the religious with the political in Pompeii. With the Capitolium as the head of the Forum, the state gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, became very important Roman figures of worship in Pompeii.

The home played a very important role in Pompeian religion, as it was “the most sacred... hallowed place on earth” [10] of every citizen. The household gods – the guardian spirits of the family, called the Lares – were the central factor of household religious practices in Pompeii. In homes, there was a shrine dedicated to the Lares, the lararium, which was a mini-temple of sorts that housed statues or painted images of the Lares. These lararia were often placed in the entry area of the house, but some lararia have also been found near the kitchens and in the gardens[11]. The House of the Vettii[12], provides an example of what these household shrines were like. In the photograph of the lararium[13], there are the Lares surrounding the paterfamilias, above a snake. The Lares themselves represent the spirits that guard the family. The paterfamilias, the central figure, is the leader of the family who carries out the religious practices. The snake beneath them represents ‘the spirit of the place’[14][15], and is also symbolic of a phallus. These phallic symbols acted as protective figures, and the snakes represent not dangerous ones, but ones that were ‘protectors of prosperity’[16]. The continuous occurrence of lararia and Lares in the houses of Pompeii and Herculaneum provides itself as evidence of strong values of religion in the home.

Tombs were not only houses for the manes[17] of the dead, but they also acted as buildings which promoted the deceased person(s) achievements and social status. The tombs of can be found outside the cities walls, lined in streets. It was common practice to cremate the bodies of the deceased in the 1st century AD[18], however this practice was banned from taking place within the walls of Pompeii and had to be proceeded at least 30 meters away from the walls[19][20]. The ashes were put into terracotta or glass urns[21] and were either buried inside the tombs, or placed into nooks in the walls, deliberately created for the storage of these urns. The photograph of the engraved glass urn shows the meticulous detailing that went into the creation of these urns[22]. Some tombs, contained statues of the important persons of a deceases lineage, like the Istacidii family who were the owners of the Villa of Mysteries[23]. The diagram of the Istacidii shows that the tombs were not small buildings which housed a few urns, but were large structures that were capable of storing many generations of families manes. As well as being houses for these manes, the tombs acted as rest-houses for travellers on their way in and out of the city. Inside the tombs, there is evidence of education at work through the artworks and writings left inside them. The tomb of Umbricius Scaurus contains a ‘decorative scheme inspired by the games held in the amphitheatre’[24] for which it is likely he was a sponsor. The tomb of the Augustale, built upon the structure of a stepped-pyramid featured the bisellum[25][26]. These illustrations evidence ancient forms of advertisement – celebrating distinguished individuals’ philanthropy and success.

Religion shaped the way in which the settlements of Pompeii and Herculaneum operated, and in a wider view, organised the way in which the Roman world was coordinated. The move from Greek to Roman state control was implemented through the practices of religion. The home, oversaw the everyday religious practices of the people of Campania. The climax of their religious practices was reached when the person(s) died, and were then either cremated or buried in their ancestral tomb. The following-through of religious practices was vital to these states, and helped to allow the continuity of civil life. However, perhaps these practices were not followed through on the 23rd of August AD79, and Pompeii and Herculaneum paid the price for abandoning their prescribed religion.

Bibliography

B. Brennan & E. Lazer, Pompeii and Herculaneum: Interpreting the evidence
Cicero, De Domo Sua
E. Cantarella & L. Jacobelli, A Day in Pompeii
K. Cameron & J. Lawless, Secrets of Vesuvius
L. Zarmati, Heinemann Ancient and Medieval History: Pompeii and Herculaneum
P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum
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W. W. Fowler, The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic: An introduction to the study of the Religion of the Romans
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_%28Roman%29
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http://blog.arlt.co.uk/blog/_archives/2006/3/14/1821144.html

http://arcanehistory.com/

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dii_Consentes

[2] W. W. Fowler, The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic: An introduction to the study of the Religion of the Romans, p.208

[3] E. Cantarella & L. Jacobelli, A Day in Pompeii, p.38 from P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, p.151

[4] A Forum is the central area of a Roman town. It was usually rectangular and surrounded by important buildings, e.g. Basilica, Temples and macellums, commonly with a central building occupying the open space.

[5] More commonly called the Capitoline Triad, it consisted of the Roman gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva (the counterparts of the Greek gods Zeus, Hera and Athena, respectively)

[6] L. Zarmati Heinemann Ancient and Medieval History Pompeii and Herculaneum p.78

[7] L. Zarmati Heinemann Ancient and Medieval History Pompeii and Herculaneum p.78

[8] P. Bradley Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum p.152, Figure 9.1

[9] S. B. Platner The Topography and Monuments of Ancient Rome p.274-275

[10] Cicero, De Domo Sua, 41, 109

[11] B. Brennan & E. Lazer, Pompeii and Herculaneum: Interpreting the evidence

[12]One of the most famous and luxurious domus (a rich villa) in Pompeii, owned by Aulus Vettius Coniva and Aulus, Vettius Restitutus.

[13] K. Cameron & J. Lawless, Secrets of Vesuvius, p.72

[14] B. Brennan & E. Lazer, Pompeii and Herculaneum: Interpreting the Evidence, p.90

[15] Also called the genius loci

[16]B. Brennan & E. Lazer, Pompeii and Herculaneum: Interpreting the Evidence, p.90

[17] The spirits of the dead

[18] P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, p.162

[19] P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, p.162

[20] Although there were some exceptions to wealthier families, and cremation was allowed within this space

[21] P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, p.162

[22] P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, p.162, Fig. 9.14

[23] P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, p.162

[24] P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, p.162

[25] The front row of seats of the theatre that were reserved for important individuals

[26] P. Bradley, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, p.162