ProQuest Dissertations - Historia Antigua

surely not Diana of the Aventine, but the more widely spread Latin Diana worshipped in agrove near Tusculum, as indicated by the unusual dative ending. 34It is expected thatLatin colonists would participate in the worship of the goddess of the grove, such as atTusculum or Nemi, who secured the meetings of rival communities; indeed inscriptionshave been found at Nemi from colonists at Ariminum.It is unexpected, however, thatthe deities worshipped outside of a Roman colony full, ostensibly, of Roman citizens, arenot specifically Roman deities, but deities of a broader Italic derivation.This is furtherevidence that Pisaurum contained non-Roman members, probably due to the shortage ofRoman citizen volunteers. Furthermore, the variety in the sacred area is clear evidencethat Rome did not stamp a pure Roman religion, if such a thing existed, on each colony,even those full of Roman citizens. We may instead interpret this sacred area as a neutralmeeting place for a variety of peoples - the Romans in the colony, Latins of nearbymunicipalities and colonies, and possibly even the preexisting Gallic populations. 37Thevariety of small dedications to central Italic deities, including Diana, suggests thatpersonal ties to gods were honored here.When we turn to the cult of Diana in the colony of Luna, we see a cult thatencompasses elements of the Mediterranean, Italian, and Latin worship of the goddess.As mentioned above, Lepidus vowed a temple to Diana during a battle against the hill-1.13-26; Dassau, ILS 2970-83; Cresci Marrone and Mennella (1984), pp. 89-150 #1-4; Trevisiol (1999), pp.94-101, #81-94; Harvey (2006), p. 136.)34 Harvey (2006), p. 124.35 ILLRP11 = CIL I 2 .40, Harvey (2006), p. 124.36 Cf. Harvey (2006), pp. 120-126 for a full discussion of the variety of gods, many of which are not ofRoman derivation, honored in this grove.37 Similarly, the variety of dedications at the Diana sanctuary on Monte San Casto in Sora also indicates thatit served as a point of contact with other communities in the Liris river valley. See Chapter 4, p. 188.38 Harvey (2006), p. 128.204