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Gods in Real Places: Rome

Exploring how Rome’s mountains, rivers, springs, and temples linked the divine to the city’s everyday landscape.

Chapters

• 0:07 Sacred Landscape of Rome
• 1:52 Rivers and Springs
• 3:19 Mountain Sanctuaries
• 4:46 Divine Signs and Political Power

On-screen text

• 0:07 Sacred Landscape of Rome
• 0:14 Sacred Landscape of Rome
• 0:31 Jupiter's temple on Capitoline Hill Historical record · Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 1.23
• 0:49 River god Tiberinus of the Tiber Historical record · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 3.69
• 1:07 Lares shrines at Roman crossroads Historical record · Festus, De Verborum Significatu, s.v. Lares
• 1:25 Janus doors signal war or peace Historical record · Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities 1.23
• 1:43 Eternal fire of Vesta Historical record · Varro, De Lingua Latina 5.12
• 1:52 Rivers and Springs
• 1:59 Rivers and Springs
• 2:16 Juturna's spring near the Forum Historical record · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 33.5
• 2:34 Augustus' bridge to Tiberinus Historical record · Cassius Dio, Roman History 54.23
• 2:52 Boat ritual for Tiberinus Historical record · Ovid, Fasti 4.274‑280
• 3:10 Well dedicated to Vesta Historical record · CIL VI 1234 (dedication to Vesta)
• 3:19 Mountain Sanctuaries
• 3:26 Mountain Sanctuaries
• 3:43 Jupiter Latiaris altar on Monte Cavo Historical record · Varro, De Lingua Latina 5.20
• 4:01 Diana's sanctuary at Lake Nemi Tradition / scripture · Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 1.31
• 4:19 Scholars see Janus doors as state signal The Institute's interpretation · John Scheid, Religion in the Roman Empire (2003)
• 4:37 Augurs read birds on Capitoline Historical record · Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 2.4
• 4:46 Divine Signs and Political Power
• 5:08 Opening Janus doors signals martial state The Institute's interpretation · John Scheid, Religion in the Roman Empire (2003)
• 5:41 Augury reinforces Senate authority The Institute's interpretation · Mary Beard, Religion and Society in Ancient Rome (2006)
• 6:11 Divine approval becomes political legitimacy The Institute's interpretation · Mary Beard, Religion and Society in Ancient Rome (2006)

Sources

Historical record: Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 1.23 · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 3.69 · Festus, De Verborum Significatu, s.v. Lares · Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities 1.23 · Varro, De Lingua Latina 5.12 · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 33.5 · Cassius Dio, Roman History 54.23 · Ovid, Fasti 4.274‑280 · CIL VI 1234 (dedication to Vesta) · Varro, De Lingua Latina 5.20 · Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 2.4

Tradition / scripture: Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 1.31

The Institute's interpretation: John Scheid, Religion in the Roman Empire (2003) · Mary Beard, Religion and Society in Ancient Rome (2006)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 203 s of CPU.