RELIGION IN POMPEII AND
HERCULANEUM
TEMPLES
TOMBS
PRIVATE WORSHIP
GLOSSARY
Votive offerings – an offering to the gods that is
accompanied by a prayer.
 Cella – The inner room or sanctuary of an
ancient Roman temple, in which the statue of
the god was situated
 Axial – Located on, around, or in the direction
of an axis.
 Tufa – a soft porous rock.
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TEMPLES
MAJOR TEMPLES AT POMPEII & HERCULANEUM
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Temple of Jupiter
Temple of Apollo
Temple of Fortuna Augusta
Temple of Venus
Temple of Vespasian - Imperial Cult
College of the Augustales – Imperial Cult
Temple of public lares
Temple of Isis
TEMPLE OF JUPITER
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Sitting in the north side of Forum, it was dedicated to
Jupiter in c.80BC.
Jupiter, Juno and Minerva worshipped as a trinity so
building became Pompeii’s Capitolium.
Italic style building - 6 columns in front, cella inside
divided by double tier of columns.
Badly damaged in AD62 earthquake and in the
process of being rebuilt when Vesuvius erupted.
TEMPLE OF JUPITER (CAPITOLIUM)
TEMPLE OF APOLLO
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Cult of Apollo was popular in Pompeii.
Began in 6th century BC, rebuilt in 2nd century BC
and damaged in earthquake of AD62.
Key features - fluted columns of Nocera tufa (building
material), showing Greek and Italian influences.
Temple stood on a platform surrounded by Corinthian
columns (Greek influence).
Marble altar at front with inscription of public officials
who dedicated the temple.
TEMPLE OF APOLLO
STATUE OF APOLLO
BUST OF DIANA IN TEMPLE OF APOLLO
TEMPLE OF VENUS
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Venus Pompeiana patron of colony after 80BC.
At the time of the eruption, sanctuary of Venus was
being rebuilt after earthquake damage.
The temple was in south west corner of city.
Key feature - Axial temple in a colonnaded court.
Votive offerings, a marble statuette of Venus and a
large gold lamp have been uncovered at the site.
TEMPLE OF VENUS
REMAINS OF THE TEMPLE OF VENUS
TEMPLE OF FORTUNA AUGUSTA
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The temple was built by public official (duumvir) Marcus Tullius
as symbol of his loyalty to emperor and is evidence of the
Imperial Cult.
It was built on busy crossroad of Via Del Foro and Via Di Nola.
Key features - platform, pit for altar, 4 columns in front and 3
on sides.
Cella contained a statue of Fortuna and niches for honorary
statues.
Temple and cult maintained by ministri attendants (usually
freedmen).
TEMPLE OF FORTUNA AUGUSTA
TEMPLE OF FORTUNA AUGUSTA
EVIDENCE OF IMPERIAL CULT - WORSHIP OF
THE EMPEROR
Remains of
Corinthian columns
TEMPLE OF VESPASIAN
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE IMPERIAL CULT
MARBLE ALTAR IN THE TEMPLE OF VESPASIAN
Animal being
brought for sacrifice
TEMPLE OF VESPASIAN ALSO KNOWN AS
GENIUS OF AUGUSTUS
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Features - open court, altar in middle and small shrine
on a podium on back wall.
New architectural technique - brick facing and marble
veneer.
It was located in the Forum next to the public lares.
The altar shows a bull being led to sacrifice.
COLLEGE OF THE AUGUSTALES
COLLEGE OF THE AUGUSTALES IN
HERCUL;ANEUM – EVIDENCE OF THE IMPERIAL
CULT
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It is situated along the decumanus maximus in Herculaneum.
Its inscription of dedication shows how the cult of Augustus allowed
freedmen to make their mark in Herculaneum’s society.
Who Were the Augustales?
 The Augustales were freedmen who had become successful local
businessmen. They were the priests of the imperial cult of Augustus.
 The cult was founded by the Emperor Augustus as a way of allowing
freedmen a role in civic life.
 Freedmen were barred from holding political posts and traditional Roman
priesthoods.
 The imperial cult gave them a chance to contribute to the society that had
freed them, advance themselves and demonstrate their loyalty to the
emperor.
THE TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS IN HERCULANEUM
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The temple of Augustus in Herculaneum was identified by an
inscription declaring it sacred to Augustus.
Situated in a prominent position in the centre of the town,
what remains is substantial.
It was a square building. Some of the wooden beams of the
central raised roof survived destruction in AD79. They
remain in place, carbonised by the pyroclastic surge that hit
the town.
The temple shrine is at the back of the building, facing the
entrance from the street. It was raised slightly above the rest
of the room and was reached by two steps.
The whole temple is painted with scenes from the last
episodes of the Hercules myths. Hercules was the founder of
Herculaneum so the frescos make a statement about the
standing of the town.
EGYPTIAN DEITY- TEMPLE OF ISIS
Temple of Isis
TEMPLE OF ISIS
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Built in late 2nd early- 1st century BC.
Cult of Isis popular with the wealthy as well as women and
slaves.
Isis - goddess of healing, giver of life, protector of family.
Features - located in enclosure above theatre; high podium with
front stairway; purificatory shrine (purgatorium) where
worshippers were cleansed with water from the Nile; precinct
contained an ekklesiasterion - a room for performance of
sacred plays; decorated with paintings and stucco reliefs of
Egyptian subjects.
Contained cult objects sistrum (rattle) and situla (bucket for
sacred milk).
Statues and dedications also found in the precinct.
PURGATORIUM - SACRED WATER FROM THE NILE WAS STORED
HERE AND USED IN PURIFICATION CEREMONIES
TEMPLE OF ISIS
Side Niche for
sacred statues
Sacred altar
TEMPLE SHRINE
Assembly room
teaching hall
Temple Pronaos
-entrance hall
to temple
PUBLIC LARES
PUBLIC LARES
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It was located in the forum.
It was built after the earthquake of 62AD and was an
act of penance for the town after the disaster they had
endured.
It had not been completed prior to the eruption but it’s
architectural features were unusual in that it was open
on the side leading to the Forum.
It had an open roof floored with coloured marble floor
and in the centre was an altar although few remains can
be seen.
There were also 3 niches in the wall where the town
goes would have been kept.
TOMBS
TOMBS
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The tombs were set as an introduction to the city and
its prominent families and citizens.
The great tombs were built as a result of
competitiveness- people were not to be outdone!
Unique to Pompeii were the bench/sitting tombs,
where travelers could sit and rest outside the city and
read about prominent Pompeians whose death
afforded their resting place.
They were a form of propaganda for families.
VIA DEI SEPOLCHRI
NECROPOLI DI PORTA NOCERA
TOMBS
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Tombs flanked the roads leading out of the city.
They were grand statements.
They were a form of self promotion - ‘altar tombs’ that
recounted the achievements and wealth of the
deceased, as well as political and social rank. It was a
statement.
They are evidence of competition for rank and status.
As travelers came into the city they could get a
glimpse of the noble families and elite inhabitants of
the town.
PRIVATE WORSHIP
WHAT WERE LARES?
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They were 2 protective spirits/gods of the household.
Lares were thought to observe and influence all that happened
within the boundaries of their location or function.
The statues of domestic Lares were placed at table during
family meals; their presence, cult and blessing seem to have
been required at all important family functions.
Household lararium – note
the 3 figures and the snakes
(guardians and a symbol of
good luck).
LARES – WHAT WAS OFFERED TO THEM?
Offerings to the Lares include grain (spelt
wheat and grain-garlands), honey cakes and
honeycombs, grapes and first fruits, wine and
incense.
 Domestic Lares (Lares Familiares) could be
served at any time and not always by intention!
Any food that fell to the floor during house
banquets was theirs.
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LARES
The other significant guardian spirit was the
genius, who was a fertility spirit responsible for
ensuring that the family line (gens) would
continue.
 Each genius stood for the paterfamilias, whose
birthday was the feast day of the genius.
 The genius is depicted wearing the toga
praetexta, bordered in purple, the garment of
high-ranking Roman magistrates.
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LARARIUMS
The lararium was a shrine to the guardian spirits of
the Roman household.
 Family members performed daily rituals at this
shrine to guarantee the protection of these
domestic spirits, the most significant of which
were the lares.
 These spirits were depicted as two young men in
dancing postures, holding drinking horns.
 They were most frequently represented by small
bronze statuettes, or as painted images.
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Bronze
Statuette
Lararium in
house
Lares painted on
shop wall
PRIESTS
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Private religion did not require the services of state priests, but there were several
areas of overlapping between the two and they did not operate separately.
Thus state pontifices (priests) would give advice on private religious matters and on
inheritance passing outside a familia on the death of the last member.
This was because both public and private religions were officially overseen by the
state through the ius divinum.
But whereas public religion was restricted to the worship of a limited number of
approved gods and select festivals private religion allowed for the worship of any god
and celebration of any festival providing that no breach of the peace occurred.
We know that many women were priestess of Isis and Fortuna Augusta.
Freedmen were often priests of the Imperial Cult too.
The following is an excellent website to look at:
http://www.romanarmy.net/relpandp.htm
Eumachia was a public
priestess of Venus.