Il lungo viaggio di Epona. Dalle Gallie a Roma

This paper offers a general overview on the cult of Epona, the Celtic goddess of horses, and on its spread‑ ing from the Gallic lands to Italy and to Rome. The analysis starts from the epigraphic and iconographic evidences found in the Western provinces of the Empire, where the cult originated, and then it focuses on the military inscriptions found along the Empire’s borders, where Epona was particularly venerated by the auxiliary cavalry units. The second part of the article examines the few evidences of Epona in Italy, in par‑ ticular the calendar of Guidizzolo (Mantua), which records a feast of Epona on 18th of December. The third and last part focuses on the military cult of Epona in Rome, where it is attested in the collective dedications of the equites singulares Augusti for a short period of time (132-141 AD).