ProQuest Dissertations - Historia Antigua

on the mouth of the Garigliano river, which is the confluence of the Gari river and theLitis river. 167One of the female heads has smooth hair to her temples, where it iswrapped in a series of curls; this type is similar to those frequently found at Fregellae,also on the Liris river. 168Thus, it seems that there was a sort of communication amongthese shrines along the Liris river, perhaps economically through the trade of similarvotives via an itinerant peddler or as pilgrimage sites for individual worshippers.The warrior's head, which probably depicts the god Mars, 169 and boar, which issacred to Mars, suggest a further connection between the temples in Sora's center and theshrine on Monte San Casto. Thus, I agree with Rizzello's suggestion that the threesanctuaries in Sora formed a single, large religious complex. 170At least one of the lowertemples was dedicated to Mars, the other perhaps to Hercules. Halfway up the hill,rested a cliff-side shrine to Hercules and Silvanus. After a half hour climb farther, 171 aworshipper would reach a sanctuary with a shrine decorated with Potnia Theron antefixesand housing a female statuette and various votive objects, including women's heads.Based on the type of statue, which could depict Diana or an Amazon, and one of theheads, which seems to follow traditional depictions of Diana, Rizzello attributes thesanctuary to Diana in her guise as mistress of the animals. 172I agree with this attribution,especially in light of the proximity of the Hercules/Silvanus sanctuary. The two form a167 Rizzello (1980), p. 85. Mingazzini (1938), tables XXV 16 and XXVI 19. There was another suchvotive found at Capua, cf. Bonghi Iovino (1965), Vol. I, p. 86, table XXIX 4.168 Rizzello (1980), p. 86. Ferrea (1979), p. 207 XXXVII, 3.169 Rizzello (1980), p. 87.170 Ibid., pp. 86-87.171 Ibid., pp. 86. The sanctuary on Monte San Casto was not located on a major road, but on the summit ofa local hill. A climb was necessary to approach it.172 Ibid.188