This study seeks to re-evaluate the pantheon of the pre-Roman Falerii by analyzing diverse documen- tary sources across a broad chronological spectrum. Archaeological, epigraphic, and literary evidence has been critically reassessed and, where feasible, cross-referenced. The analysis underscores the inherent fragmentation of the available data. However, by encompassing a substantial period from the 8th century BC to the 1st century AD, it illustrates that the well-documented longevity of cultic site usage, particularly during the mid-Republican period, reflects a clear continuity with the pre-Roman Falerii. A notable resurgence of interest in a distant past, likely driven by a deliberate, if somewhat contrived, effort to reconstruct Faliscan collective memory, is evident during the Augustan age. Despite this apparent Augustan-era reconstruction, it is significant that Late Antique Christian cultic sites in Civita Castellana often emerged in close proximity to, or even directly within, pre-Roman sacred spaces. This phenomenon warrants further investigation, especially considering Falerii’s historical discontinuities and its relocation to Roman Falerii following the conquest of 241 BC.
Divinità in cerca di dimora: Cerere, Giunone, Minerva, Apollo e gli altri a Falerii / Biella, Maria Cristina. - (2025), pp. 25-38. ( Culto, memoria e identità. Divinità "etniche" nell'Italia antica? Roma ).
Divinità in cerca di dimora: Cerere, Giunone, Minerva, Apollo e gli altri a Falerii
Maria Cristina Biella
2025
Abstract
This study seeks to re-evaluate the pantheon of the pre-Roman Falerii by analyzing diverse documen- tary sources across a broad chronological spectrum. Archaeological, epigraphic, and literary evidence has been critically reassessed and, where feasible, cross-referenced. The analysis underscores the inherent fragmentation of the available data. However, by encompassing a substantial period from the 8th century BC to the 1st century AD, it illustrates that the well-documented longevity of cultic site usage, particularly during the mid-Republican period, reflects a clear continuity with the pre-Roman Falerii. A notable resurgence of interest in a distant past, likely driven by a deliberate, if somewhat contrived, effort to reconstruct Faliscan collective memory, is evident during the Augustan age. Despite this apparent Augustan-era reconstruction, it is significant that Late Antique Christian cultic sites in Civita Castellana often emerged in close proximity to, or even directly within, pre-Roman sacred spaces. This phenomenon warrants further investigation, especially considering Falerii’s historical discontinuities and its relocation to Roman Falerii following the conquest of 241 BC.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.


