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2 - Menagerie of the Divine

Godlings in Roman Britain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2023

Francis Young
Affiliation:
Independent scholar
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Summary

There is a great deal of archaeological and epigraphic evidence for the ‘menagerie of the divine’ that was Roman Britain, yet this evidence is often accompanied with little context that helps us to understand exactly what the significance of such cults was. The chapter introduces the character of Roman popular religion and analyses the evidence for the main categories of godlings in Roman Britain, including genii, the Parcae and mother goddesses and deities of nature such as nymphs and fauns, arguing that such cults became much more significant during the fourth-century ‘pagan revival’ that followed the accession of the pagan emperor Julian in 361. In particular, the extraordinary cult of Faunus revealed by the Thetford Treasure – along with other ecstatic nature cults apparently testified by the archaeological record – suggests that the fourth century was an important time for the development of distinctive and inventive Romano-British interpretations of Roman pagan religion, which may form the cultural background to the strong traditions of otherworldly beings found in later British culture.

Type
Chapter
Information
Twilight of the Godlings
The Shadowy Beginnings of Britain's Supernatural Beings
, pp. 89 - 135
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Menagerie of the Divine
  • Francis Young, Independent scholar
  • Book: Twilight of the Godlings
  • Online publication: 09 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009330343.004
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  • Menagerie of the Divine
  • Francis Young, Independent scholar
  • Book: Twilight of the Godlings
  • Online publication: 09 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009330343.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Menagerie of the Divine
  • Francis Young, Independent scholar
  • Book: Twilight of the Godlings
  • Online publication: 09 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009330343.004
Available formats
×