In the Salento peninsula, from the Iron age (ninth-seventh century BC) to the Roman conquest (third century BC), the Messapian people flourished. Many archaeological data are disposable on the settlement system and the organization of the cult. This presentation focuses on the analysis of sanctuaries in Oria and Vaste, which date from the Archaic (sixth-fifth century BC) and Hellenistic (fourth-third century BC) periods. Holy places set both inside and outside the ancient settlements show different ways in which cults were performed. The cults, which invoked fertility and fecundity, could be celebrated by women and/or men in accordance with the social structures of their community; at the same time, in different contexts, these cults could be addressed to goddesses and underground deities or ancestors.
“Worshipping Women”. Case Studies from Urban and Suburban Holy Places in Southern Apulia (Sixth-Third centuries BC)
Giovanni Mastronuzzi
2026-01-01
Abstract
In the Salento peninsula, from the Iron age (ninth-seventh century BC) to the Roman conquest (third century BC), the Messapian people flourished. Many archaeological data are disposable on the settlement system and the organization of the cult. This presentation focuses on the analysis of sanctuaries in Oria and Vaste, which date from the Archaic (sixth-fifth century BC) and Hellenistic (fourth-third century BC) periods. Holy places set both inside and outside the ancient settlements show different ways in which cults were performed. The cults, which invoked fertility and fecundity, could be celebrated by women and/or men in accordance with the social structures of their community; at the same time, in different contexts, these cults could be addressed to goddesses and underground deities or ancestors.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
