Religion in Pompeii and Herculaneum

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Cities of Vesuvius – Pompeii and Herculaneum

In the 1st century AD there was a myriad of religions within the Roman Empire. The colonies of Pompeii and Herculaneum were no exception. The evidence of religious belief and practice comes mainly from the remains of temples and altars within the two colonies. Pompeii, as a trading port, was in contact with countless other cultures, each trade ship and foreign vessel bringing with it a new religion, or a variation of an old one. Whilst the main Roman gods of the Capitoline Triad were worshipped within Pompeii and Herculaneum, they appear to have been held in less favor by the Pompeian people. Archaeological evidence indicates the Pompeian’s appeared to prefer the goddess Venus Pompeiana, protector of Pompeii. Household gods, called Lares or Penates, were highly respected by the individual households of Pompeii and Herculaneum, with shrines and temples found throughout the two towns. However, practiced amongst these more traditional Roman religions were the foreign religions, or the Mystery Cults. The Cult of Isis was particularly favored in Pompeii and the worship of Dionysus was nearly as popular as Isis with the people of Pompeii, who for the most part enjoyed a very hedonistic lifestyle. No large temples have been found in the small proportion of Herculaneum excavated to date, but a shrine of the Augustales including a section devoted to Hercules, provides evidence of the Imperial Cult and two small temples provide evidence of the worship of Venus, Mercury, Minerva, Vulcan and Neptune.

The Capitoline Triad originally consisted of the three main gods of Rome; Jupiter, Mars and Quirino. However, Juno and Minerva eventually replaced Mars and Quirino. Every January 1st the citizens of Pompeii gathered at the northern end of the Forum to celebrate the Roman New Year. There they gathered at the temple of Jupiter (identified by the surviving inscriptions), a building set on a 10ft high foundation, to watch the sacrifice of a bull to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, patron deity of Rome. However this fealty to the gods of State seems to have been a token gesture, rather than one of true religious piety.

Whilst the citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum paid their respects to the State gods evidence shows that they did not favor them as they did other gods. After the earthquake of 62AD struck the region of Campania the townspeople of Pompeii did little to restore the Temple of Jupiter and left it in a derelict state. Instead of rebuilding the temple they moved their worship to another location, the sanctuary of Jupiter Meilichios patron deity of Pompeian farmers.

At the time of the eruption that occurred in 79AD, restorations were taking place on the Temple of Venus which was dedicated to Venus Pompeiana. The temple was located on the bluff overlooking Pompeii’s Marina gate. If the restoration had been completed, this temple would have been the third temple dedicated to the goddess in the century and a half since Sulla, who conquered Pompeii in 89BC, pledged the city to her. The first temple was a simple structure made of volcanic rock. As support grew for the goddess the townspeople demolished this temple in order to replace it with a larger marble temple. The same earthquake that ruined the temple of Jupiter in 62AD also caused major damage to this second temple. From these remains the third temple of Venus was being constructed, and would have been the most lavish temple thus far. In the construction of the temple many houses in the area were demolished. It stood on a large open area, with the shrine facing to the sea. This site allowed a clear view of the shrine, and as it overlooked the harbor, anyone entering would have seen it as a major landmark. Venus was a highly popular goddess, and her image can be found extensively throughout Pompeii and Herculaneum. The original cult statue of the temple is now lost, but it is suggested that it may bear resemblance to various painted depictions of Venus, which “show the goddess heavily draped and wearing the mural crown of a city personification, with a ships rudder – a clear reference to Pompeii’s connection with maritime trade – supporting her left hand and a figure of cupid standing on a pedestal next to her” (Ling pg.108). Traditionally Venus shared her guardianship with Apollo and Hercules, who was supposed to have founded the colonies of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

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Apollo was considered to be the protector of Pompeii in the pre-Roman period.  Apollo’s temple was located next to the forum and was originally connected to this area by 11 large entrances many of which were closed after the construction of the Temple of Jupiter. The old temple no longer remains, the temple we see today was built upon the remains of this older building. Archaeologists have concluded that the original temple was built before Roman settlement. This conclusion comes from the fact that the entire temple is out of line to the rest of the Forum. This is ...

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