Sacra privata nell'Italia centrale : archeologia, fonti letterarie e documenti epigrafici

In the modern knowledge system and in its imagery, the topic of domestic worship is still and always firmly associated to the Lares, the well-known protecting deities of the ancient home. This couple of gods was certainly an important point of reference in the ancients’ ideal sphere, but it was not exclusive, as it was part of a much larger group of deities called on to defend the familia and to live in the domus from generation to generation as a fundamental element of the owners’ identity. This variety of divine entities worshipped in the private home is precisely what emerges in this volume which, through an accurate analysis of archaeological data and literary and epigraphic elements, offers tangible proof of traditional cults as well as of the cult of ancestors, considered as deified entities for the control of each family’s behaviour rules. However, the breakthrough of this book lies in the importance given to imperial cult, normally pertaining to the public domain, but which surfaces in the private sphere in all its propaganda and celebratory power. Therefore, the picture painted in this book is completely innovative and so far unexplored, and it proves how a study carried out with scientific rigour and innovative research methods can lead to a new chapter on the sacra privata.