ProQuest Dissertations - Historia Antigua

As discussed above, Roman religion was open to new deities, so the enemy's gods couldbe adopted as Roman through evocatio and taken to Rome; in other cases, the god mightstay in his or her original sanctuary out of respect for the strong sense of place inherent inItalian ritual, e.g. the cult of Juno Sospita at Lanuvium.The role of the general indisturbing the gods of his conquered enemies was also acknowledged, as seen when thedefeated cult was incorporated into the sacra publico of Rome and given into the keepingof the family of the conqueror.In the colonies, the new settlers had the option ofhelping to restore damaged sanctuaries. An exauguratio was necessary in this processonly if the settlers decided to remove the shrine formally or change recipients of thetemple. 124The preceding are just general observations on what could have happened if ashrine was destroyed while the Roman army conquered the territory of the future colony.Bispham notes that there is a significant level of survival of local cults in the colonies,although many of these underwent some change as a result of the conquest andcolonization.The survival of local sanctuaries is only part of the diversity of religioustopography, practice, and ideology found across the colonies, however. 126Thus, it isnecessary to evaluate the colonies and sanctuaries on an individual basis to determine therelative level of religious continuity. Some of this analysis has been completed forvarious colonies. Crawford reiterates the continuity of the cult of Athena/Minerva atPaestum, as well as the continuing votive deposits made at the rural sanctuary of122 Glinister (2000), p. 62. Cf. Livy 8.14.2, Cic. Mur. 90.123 Arn. Adv. not. 3.38. Glinister (2000), p. 63.124 Glinister (2000), p. 66.125 Bispham (2006), p. 94 following Torelli.126 Ibid.37