Religious Diversity

Question 1

What 2 regions can be used as examples for this possible exam question?

Answer 1

The Alps (and Noricum, Dalmatia and Pannonia) and Greece (and Thrace, the eastern Danube lands and Dacia)

Question 2

Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Alps region?

Answer 2

Virunum and Carnuntum

Question 3

What can Virunum tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 3

Modern day Zollfeld, Austria. Capital of the Roman province of Noricum, inscriptions and archaeological remains indicate the worship of various roman deities such as Jupiter, Juno, Mars, as well as local Celtic gods like Belenus and Norico

Question 4

What can Carnuntum tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 4

Modern day Petronell-Carnuntum. Was a Roman legionary fortress and headquarters of the Pannonian fleet from 50 AD. After the 1st century, it was capital of the Pannonia Superior province. Strategic military site along the Danube river, home to a diverse population including Roman legionaries and civilians. Inscriptions found here attest to the worship of Roman deities such as Jupiter OM and Mars, and local Celtic deity Belenus - ‘bright one’ - (healing god associated with Apollo)

Question 5

Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Noricum region?

Answer 5

Celeia and Teurnia

Question 6

What can Celeia tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 6

Modern day Celje, Slovenia. Celeia was an important urban centre in Noricum. Inscriptions and archaeological findings from Celeia reveal a blend of Roman and indigenous religious deities, with dedications to Roman gods like Jupiter and Hercules along with local Celtic deities

Question 7

What can Teurnia tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 7

Modern day St. Peter in Holz, Austria. Was a Roman town located in Carinthia, Austria. Temple dedicated to Grannus, the Celtic counterpart deity of Asclepius, god of medicine and healing, but in Teurnia invoked as Grannus Apollo.

Question 8

Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Dalmatia region?

Answer 8

Salona and Narona

Question 9

What can Salona tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 9

Modern day Solin, Croatia. Capital of the Roman province Dalmatia - major urban centre. Many inscriptions in both Latin and Greek have been found both inside the walls and in the cemeteries outside - mention worship of both Roman and local deities - including Christianity. Archaeological evidence attests to the city’s prosperity and integration into the Roman Empire. Basilica highlights the transition from pagan to Christian religious practices in the region

Question 10

What can Narona tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 10

Neretva valley in present-day Bosnia. Dedications on inscriptions to Jupiter, Diana and Silvonas and Noiades.

Question 11

Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Pannonia region?

Answer 11

Aquiricum and Scarbantia

Question 12

What can Aquiricum tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 12

Modern day Budapest, Hungary. Significant Roman military and civilian settlement in Pannonia. Inscriptions and archaeological finds indicate the rosehip of Roman gods, including Jupiter, Mars, Fortuna, and Mithraic altars.

Question 13

What can Scarbantia tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 13

Modern day Hungary. Roman town - inscriptions mention the veneration of Roman deities such as Jupiter, Minerva and Mercury reflecting the religious diversity of smaller urban centres in Pannonia

Question 14

Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the region of Greece?

Answer 14

Corinth and Petra

Question 15

What can Corinth tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 15

Prominent Roman colony in Greece. Inscriptions and archaeology demonstrate dual worship of Roman and local deities. Under the Romans, Corinth was rebuilt as a major city in Southern Greece or Achaia. It had a large mixed population of Romans, Greeks, and Jews. The city was an important locus for activities of The Roman Imperial Cult, and both Temple E and the Julian Basilica have been suggested as locations of imperial cult activity

Question 16

What can Petra tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 16

Inscriptions to Neptune, Heracles, Mercury. An inscription to Liber Pater, a god revered by Emperor Septimius Severus, was found in the temenos of the temple known as Qasr al-Bint, and Nabataean tombs contained silver coins with the emperor’s portrait, as well as pottery from his reign. Emperor Elagabalus declared Petra to be a Roman colony, when he reorganised the Roman Empire towards the end of the 3rd century.

Question 17

Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the region of Thrace?

Answer 17

Adrianople and Deultum

Question 18

What can Adrianople tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 18

Modern day Turkey. City in Thrace. The city was reestablished by the Roman Emperor Hadrian on the site of Orestias (named after its mythological founder Orestes), which was itself built on a previous Thracian settlement. Hadrian developed it, adorned it with monuments, and changed its name to Hadrianopolis. Inscriptions to Roman deities and evidence for Mithraic cults

Question 19

What can Deultum tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 19

Evidence for temples dedicated to Asclepius and Cybele. Roman colony and military outpost. Mithraic cults of Roman soldiers. In 2020, archaeologists discovered a sarcophagus from the 2nd or 3rd century AD with a Greek inscription which proved that Deultum was a port town.

Question 20

Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the region of Dacia?

Answer 20

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa and Apulum

Question 21

What can Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 21

Capital of Roman Dacia. Possibly built over a temporary camp of the Fifth Macedonian Legion, it soon was settled by the retired veterans who had served in the Dacian Wars. Besides the temple dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, which marked the city as the religious centre of Dacia, in the beginning of the 3rd century a temple for the Palmyrene gods was dedicated.

Question 22

What can Apulum tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 22

Modern day Alba Iulia, Romania. major Roman settlement and military camp. Inscriptions indicate dedications to Roman deities such as Jupiter, Mars, Mercury - also evidence of Mithraic cults

Question 23

Which two locations can be used as examples of religious diversity for the Danube lands?

Answer 23

Viminacium and Aquae

Question 24

What can Viminacium tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 24

Modern day Serbia. Significant city and Roman camp located along the Danube river. Inscriptions mention the worship of roman gods such as Jupiter Dolichenus, Hercules Magusanus and Mithras. Presence of temples, shrines and religious artefacts.

Question 25

What can Aquae tell us about religious diversity?

Answer 25

Roman spa resort and settlement in the Danube lands. Inscriptions include dedications to Roman deities such as Apollo, Aesclepius, Hercules. Evidence of cults dedicated to local deities and religious practices associated with healing and wellness