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Pompeii and Herculaneum

In: Historical Events

Submitted By ranakutup
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The two main cities of Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum have undergone such excavations, enabling historians of today to reveal facts, in particularly, about religion in the cities. Religion was an important part of an individuals life and an active part of everyday life and the worship of offerings were performed in order to keep the God’s satisfied and ensure the prosperity and safety of all aspects of ones life, and ones family. A number of sources both written and archaeological have provided today’s society with facts and evidence of the household Gods and foreign cults in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The home played a vital role in Pompeian religion, as it was “the most sacred..hallowed place on earth” of every citizen in the city. The household gods also known as the guardian spirits of the family, called the Lares were the central factor of household religious practices in Pompeii. Every home incorporated a shrine dedicated to the Lares, the Lararium which was a mini-temple of sorts that housed the statues or painted images of the Lares. These Lararia were usually set in the Atrium, though others have also been found near the kitchens and in the gardens.

Source 1 shows a lararium found in The House of the Vetti, this provides an example of what these household shrines were like. In Source 1, there are the Lares surrounding the paterfamilias above a snake. The Lares themselves represent the spirits that guard the family. The paterfamilias, the central figure, is the leader of the family who carries out the religious practices. The snake beneath is believed to be the protector of the household, genius loci. The role of the snake was to keep vermin away from food sources.
The continuous occurrence of lararia and Lares in the houses of Pompeii and Herculaneum provides itself as evidence of strong values of religion in the home.

Source 2 is a picture of the Altar of Vespasian, which represents a typical Roman sacrifice. Source 2 shows that the altar is made of white marble and is decorated with a scene, which shows the sacrificing of a bull. The sacrifice of bulls was a customary practice in the Imperial cult, this was the most important sacrifice as a part of a purification ceremony.

-public and private worship- differentiate the two
-public worship-sacrifice-

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