ProQuest Dissertations - Historia Antigua

the decision of the pontifex maximus and the senate, the sacrifice was repeated the nextyear (194 BCE). Only then does Livy mention colonies, but I think this is a coincidence.Some or all of these colonies had been planned two years before the first attempt toperform the sacrifices. 131If the ver sacrum of 194 was intended to accompany thecolonization, why was the one in 195 performed? It is a much more simple answer if thetwo events are not related but merely reported by Livy in the same breath, as it were.It seems that the Roman ver sacrum was not identical to the Sabellic formula, sowe cannot expect that the Roman colonists were led out and protected by Jupiter in thesame way the Samnites were by Mars. Furthermore, there is insufficient archaeologicalevidence in these colonies to determine if Jupiter was venerated there especially, if at all.Jupiter was prominent in the colonies of Luna, Pisaurum, Minturnae, and Paestumcertainly, and perhaps also Potentia and Ariminum. These hardly constitute a majority ofthe colonies founded in the middle Republic. Thus, until more concrete evidence hassurfaced, Jupiter cannot be said to be the (or even a) patron god of Roman colonization.Gods in the Colonies: ConclusionsIn general, the cults in the mid-Republican colonies exhibit religious influences fromcentral Italy, Greece, or Samnium much more than they do a strictly Roman influence.The strength and source of influences on the colonial cult depends on the god in question,however. The location of the colonies and specific local populations are also important.The influences on each cult discussed in this chapter are summarized in Figure 5.1.131 In 197 BCE, the lex coloniae was passed to found Volternum, Liternum, Puteoli, and Salernum at thevery least. Livy 32.29.3-4.