Roman Religion in the Danubian Provinces by Csaba Szab;

Author:Csaba Szab;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781789257847
Publisher: Casemate Publishers & Book Distributors, LLC
Published: 2022-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

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Space sacralisation in meso-spaces

The previous chapter focused on the macro-spaces of religious communication. As was stated in the methodological introduction, macro-spaces can vary from extraprovincial routes and continental networks to major public spaces, and may be established in urban and military contexts. Accessibility, visibility and the density of religious tools (objects, human agency, spatial dimensions) are the common features of macro-spaces.

Religious communication between human and divine agency also created numerous meso-spaces, where all the above-mentioned factors are reduced: the number of individuals participating in such spaces is less than 100 (usually 10–30), therefore their accessibility is limited. This limitation is often controlled by religious specialists and legal tools (lex sacra, collegia rules, sacramentum), but also the physical dimensions and liminality of the sacralised space.1 In these conditions, where space is reduced and the human and material agency has its own dimensional limitations, the external features (architectural, environmental) of these sacralised spaces plays a secondary or marginal role in religious communication. What is more important – and makes the meso-spaces very popular – is the introverted aspect of spatial religion.

The inner design, structure and constantly changing inventory of these spaces reflects much more the individual religious choices and creates an ideal space for religious appropriations and individualisations. Individuals – such as the founders of religious ideas, groups or essential tools (texts, visual narratives) – as well as group identities create a much greater possibility for religious dialogue and connectivity in meso-spaces. In these relatively small but well-connected spaces we can identify and analyse much more easily the individual; the inner hierarchies and their dynamic changes; the mechanisms of religious grouping and networking; the religious experiences, divinations and visual and textual narratives used in religious communication; and the various forms of appropriations.

This chapter will focus on meso-spaces by examining these major factors, alongside asking some crucial questions. Where were these spaces predominantly formed? Why were there so many of them during the Principate in the Danubian provinces? Through particular and well-documented case studies, I will also analyse the ‘biographies’ and lived ancient religion within these meso-spaces.

Using this spatial and qualitative notion of religious dimensions (meso-space2), my aim is to break the traditional categories that identified these spaces with a certain divinity or human agency (Mithraeum, Dolichenum, Bacchium, Iseum, Serapeum, Phrygianum, etc.). For a long time, these spaces were associated with a culturalreligious orientalism, modern historiography claiming their oriental (Eastern) origins.3 Others highlighted the mystery aspect of these cults and the associated spaces and groups; however, it has always been problematic to find material sources for the scant literary evidence.4 Recently, these religious groups have been analysed in the context of group formation,5 mobility6 and cognitive features.7 Small-group religions – often called elective cults8 – were interpreted mostly from the perspective of their human or divine agency, but rarely from a holistic approach, in which the participants, the divine power, the materiality of religion, facets of lived religion and the spatial arrangements and investments were all analysed.9 In the following, I will present

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