Papers by Tiziano Cinaglia
La letteratura moderna ha generalmente interpretato la festività delle Quinquatrus come una celeb... more La letteratura moderna ha generalmente interpretato la festività delle Quinquatrus come una celebrazione propria di Marte, in base all’attività saliare certificata da alcuni feriali antichi per il 19 marzo. In realtà, da numerosi ed evidenti indizi, le Quinquatrus devono considerarsi come una festa di exclusiva pertinenza di Minerva, oltretutto già a partire dall’epoca arcaica: in primo luogo, il dies natalis della dea è ricordato da varie fonti per questa data; ma rivestono una importanza decisiva, ai fini dell’individuazione della titolarità della festa, soprattutto l’analisi etimologico-lessicale del sostantivo Quinquatrus e le relazioni mitologico-calendariali sottese a questa festività. La concomitante presenza dei rituali dei Salii durante le celebrazioni dedicate a Minerva, pertanto, altro non è che una chiara testimonianza della stretta connessione tra il culto di Marte e quello della dea, nel primo mese dell’anno arcaico.Modern scholars have generally interpreted the festiv...
Gerión. Revista de Historia Antigua, 2016
La letteratura moderna ha generalmente interpretato la festività delle Quinquatrus come una celeb... more La letteratura moderna ha generalmente interpretato la festività delle Quinquatrus come una celebrazione propria di Marte, in base all’attività saliare certificata da alcuni feriali antichi per il 19 marzo. In realtà, da numerosi ed evidenti indizi, le Quinquatrus devono considerarsi come una festa di exclusiva pertinenza di Minerva, oltretutto già a partire dall’epoca arcaica: in primo luogo, il dies natalis della dea è ricordato da varie fonti per questa data; ma rivestono una importanza decisiva, ai fini dell’individuazione della titolarità della festa, soprattutto l’analisi etimologico-lessicale del sostantivo Quinquatrus e le relazioni mitologico-calendariali sottese a questa festività. La concomitante presenza dei rituali dei Salii durante le celebrazioni dedicate a Minerva, pertanto, altro non è che una chiara testimonianza della stretta connessione tra il culto di Marte e quello della dea, nel primo mese dell’anno arcaico.
'Ilu. Revista de Ciencias de las Religiones, 2016
La vulgata moderna ha sempre identificato il Minervium varroniano con i parva delubra menzionati ... more La vulgata moderna ha sempre identificato il Minervium varroniano con i parva delubra menzionati da Ovidio relativamente al culto di Minerva Capta; si tratta, in effetti, dello stesso tempio, individuabile sull’altura del Celio. Sulla base di una analisi etimologica, linguistica ed infine storica, vengono esaminati i due diversi nomi, sottolineando le implicazioni religiose e cultuali che se ne ricavano: il Minervium, contestualizzabile soltanto grazie all’arcaica lista dei sacella degli Argei; Minerva Capta, invece, epiclesi fondamentale per la comprensione del culto, connesso ai riti d’iniziazione post-puberali. Da questo esame si evidenzia come entrambe le espressioni si colleghino a fasi arcaiche della religione romana e, pertanto, viene dimostrata anche l’arcaicità del culto stesso di Minerva, sia per quanto riguarda il Celio, ma più in generale per la storia della comunità romana.
In its most usual and recognizable sense, divinatory practice is understood today, as in
ancient... more In its most usual and recognizable sense, divinatory practice is understood today, as in
ancient times, as an operation aimed at providing knowledge, inaccessible by other means,
about the future, whether taking place in the short or the long term. But, in contrast to this
conventional and rather simplified image, there is a long tradition of studies on this
important facet of the religious activity in antiquity which has revealed the rich complexity
of this practice, in terms of its forms, presuppositions, purposes and representations,
including the time framework in which it operates (broader than what it is usually
attributed to it).
In fact, the temporal vector of divination demands that in the field of research a
much greater relevance is assigned in contrast to what it has been traditionally recognized.
First, due to the importance of the temporal plot in which the time frame the divinatory
praxis is embedded in (its location in the calendar, its association to certain anniversaries
or ephemeris or to events of another nature equally indicated by chronology, its
development in the course of certain time frames, such as the day or the month, its
duration, the milestones that organize their ritual sequence and give meaning to their
execution, etc.). Secondly, because of the presence of "time" as a concept and idea, whether
mythical or historical, or even merely referential, in the elaboration, presentation and
reception of the different responses obtained through these practices.
This scientific meeting has a two-fold aim: first, to delve into the temporal
dimension of divination –understood, in a broad sense, as the set of procedures and
techniques that fall under that name–, focused on Rome, but also including other historical
and cultural frameworks, as the Italo-Etruscan or the Greek ones, that can explain the
broad context in which Roman practices are inserted, and second, to provide possible
models and references for them. To this end, the two axes mentioned above are
established as the main ways of approaching this phenomenon:
• Time as a discursive and conceptual component of the divinatory response;
• Time as a structural and functional element of the divinatory practice.
Negli anni 2005 e 2006 l’Università di Perugia ha continuato gli scavi stratigrafici di alcune ab... more Negli anni 2005 e 2006 l’Università di Perugia ha continuato gli scavi stratigrafici di alcune abitazioni della Regio VI Insula 2, in particolare di ambienti delle domus VI 2, 14 e VI 2, 16-21, dove i livelli intercettati testimoniano, rispettivamente, l’impianto di edifici di III e di metà II secolo a.C., e presso la Casa di Sallustio (VI 2, 2-4), in collaborazione con A. Laidlaw. La cronologia dell’edificazione della domus VI 2, 2-4, ascrivibile alla piena età tardo-sannitica, ha confermato che l’occupazione dei lotti dell’insula 2 avvenne in maniera graduale e fu completata solo nel corso del II secolo a.C. Le abitazioni più antiche dell’insula, risalenti al III secolo a.C. e costruite con la tecnica edilizia dell’opus africanum (VI 2, 11; VI 2, 14; VI 2, 24), sorsero isolate o raggruppate a coppie fra aree lasciate inedificate, che furono occupate tra la fine del III e la fine del II secolo a.C. L’impianto attuale delle domus VI 2, 16-21 e VI 2, 17-20, con facciata edificata in ...
Gerión. Revista de Historia Antigua, Nov 15, 2017
Riassunto. La relazione che intercorre tra Minerva ed i pueri romani, nota archeologicamente dai ... more Riassunto. La relazione che intercorre tra Minerva ed i pueri romani, nota archeologicamente dai più antichi santuari italici della dea ed inoltre documentata dalla presenza dell'altare della dea Iuventas nella cella di Minerva del tempio capitolino, appare altresì evidente ad una più approfondita disamina di alcune fonti letterarie di epoca classica; in particolare, risultano assolutamente determinanti le testimonianze relative alla prassi del tributo del minerval, alla tutela della dea sulla memoria e, infine, le numerose attestazioni del patronato di Minerva sulle attività dell'artigianato tessile. Quantunque pertinenti ad ambiti totalmente diversi, tali competenze di Minerva sono collegate da un unico filo conduttore, riconducibili ad una origine comune costituita dal primigenio culto tributatole come dea tutelare dei riti di passaggio post-puberali. Parole chiave: Minerva; pueritia; Minerval; Dea della memoria; lanificium; riti di passaggio.
Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2016
Lake Nemi, in a crater of volcanic origins, lies along the via Appia c.30 km south of Rome in the... more Lake Nemi, in a crater of volcanic origins, lies along the via Appia c.30 km south of Rome in the region of the Alban Hills. The basin as a whole has a high density of archeological evidence, most noticeably the sanctuary of Diana on the NE and the imperial villa on the SW sides. Famously, two large ships belonging to Caligula were long preserved in the lake bed. Following repeated attempts beginning in Renaissance times, in 1927 the recovery of the two ships became a matter of national prestige and propaganda for the Fascist government. The decision was taken to lower the level of the lake by c.22 m to the lake floor where the hulls lay, using powerful pumps that sucked and directed the water through the ancient emissary that was re-opened (figs. 2-3). These operations, conducted between 1928 and 1932, concluded in 1936 with the grand opening on the NW shore of the Museo Nazionale delle Navi Romane, where the ships were displayed. But the tragic epilogue came just a few years later...
Negli anni 2005 e 2006 l'Università di Perugia ha continuato gli scavi stratigrafici di alcune ab... more Negli anni 2005 e 2006 l'Università di Perugia ha continuato gli scavi stratigrafici di alcune abitazioni della Regio VI Insula 2, in particolare di ambienti delle domus VI 2, 14 e VI 2, 16-21, dove i livelli intercettati testimoniano, rispettivamente, l'impianto di edifici di III e di metà II secolo a.C., e presso la Casa di Sallustio (VI 2, 2-4), in collaborazione con A. Laidlaw.
Given the closure of universities, research centers and libraries for Covid 19, I decided to uplo... more Given the closure of universities, research centers and libraries for Covid 19, I decided to upload the complete pdf of the articles even if the publishing house had asked not to do it (or at least, to wait a few years). But we are in an emergency and I hope they will understand.
All’interno dell’arcaico feriale romano, le festività di Anna Perenna e Minerva risultano indisso... more All’interno dell’arcaico feriale romano, le festività di Anna Perenna e Minerva risultano indissolubilmente collegate da un complesso sistema mitologico e cultuale, finalizzate alla celebrazione dei riti di passaggio femminili al principio del nuovo anno. Il nesso tra le due divinità è infatti ribadito dalla sacralità del numero 5 per Minerva e dall’etimologia del sostantivo Quinquatrus, entrambi riconducibili alla centralità del quindiale compreso tra il 15 ed il 19 marzo, momento in cui l’arcaica comunità romana ritualizzava la comparsa del menarca e quindi l’accesso delle nuove donne nella comunità.
In the archaic Roman calendar the festivities of Anna Perenna and Minerva were closely connected to each other through a complex mythological and cultural system, concerning the celebration of post-pubescent transition rites at the beginning of the new year. The connection between these divinities is confirmed by the sacred significance of the number 5 for Minerva and by the etymological analysis of the noun Quinquatrus: both the number and the noun, in fact, are linked to the importance of the five-day period between the 15th and 19th of March, since this was the moment when the archaic Roman society ritually acknowledged the first appearance of menstrual blood and therefore celebrated the transformation of girls into women.
La connotazione lunare, ritenuta una ‘sfumata’ caratteristica di Minerva sulla scorta dei ritrova... more La connotazione lunare, ritenuta una ‘sfumata’ caratteristica di Minerva sulla scorta dei ritrovamenti di Lavinium, appare invece come un tratto distintivo del culto della dea, evidenziabile in numerosi e differenti ambiti: nelle Quinquatrus, la sua principale festività; nella collocazione topografica dei maggiori santuari urbani; in varie e male interpretate fonti letterarie; e, verosimilmente, anche dalla stessa etimologia del suo teonimo. Un aspetto decisamente risalente, pertinente alla natura della dea sin dalle origini, connesso alla sua primigenia funzione di divinità del passaggio di status femminile, come testimoniato dalla più antica documentazione archeologica, e di garante istituzionale dello scorrere del tempo, come documenta la sua presenza nel Capitolium.
The lunar connotation, considered a ‘vanished’ characteristic of Minerva based on the discoveries of Lavinium, results instead as a distinctive aspect of her cult, that we can recognize in different fields: in the Quinquatrus, the main festivity of the goddess; in the topographical positioning of the most important urban sanctuaries; in the literary sources; and, probably, also in the etymology of the theonym itself. Surely a very ancient hallmark, connected to the nature of the goddess since her origins, to her
primitive function of supervisor of transitional feminine rites, as demonstrated by the ancient archaeological remains, and to the institutional measurement of flowing time, one of the reasons for the presence of the goddess on the Capitolium.
La relazione che intercorre tra Minerva ed i pueri romani, nota archeologicamente per i più antic... more La relazione che intercorre tra Minerva ed i pueri romani, nota archeologicamente per i più antichi santuari italici della dea e documentata dalla presenza dell’altare della dea Iuventas nella cella di Minerva del tempio capitolino, appare altresì evidente ad una più approfondita disamina di alcune fonti letterarie di epoca classica. In particolare, risultano assolutamente determinanti le testimonianze relative alla prassi del tributo del minerval, alla tutela della dea sulla memoria e, infine, le numerose attestazioni del patronato di Minerva sulle attività dell’artigianato tessile: quantunque pertinenti ad ambiti totalmente diversi, tali competenze di Minerva sono collegate da un unico filo conduttore, riconducibili ad un'origine comune, costituita dal primigenio culto tributatole come dea tutelare dei riti di passaggio post-puberali.
The connection between Minerva and Roman pueri, well known archaeologically in the
oldest Italic shrines of the goddess and documented by the presence of goddess Iuventas in the cella of Minerva of the Capitoline temple, can be also clearly revealed by a more detailed examination of some ancient sources; in this regard, the literary testimony concerning the practice of minerval, the protection of the goddess on the memory and, lastly, the numerous proofs of Minerva’s patronage on textile handicraft activities are absolutely crucial. Although pertaining to undoubtedly very different
fields, such competences of the goddess are reciprocally linked by a common thread, all of them being ascribable to a common genesis originating from the primitive cult of Minerva as tutelary goddess of post-puberty transitional rites.
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Papers by Tiziano Cinaglia
ancient times, as an operation aimed at providing knowledge, inaccessible by other means,
about the future, whether taking place in the short or the long term. But, in contrast to this
conventional and rather simplified image, there is a long tradition of studies on this
important facet of the religious activity in antiquity which has revealed the rich complexity
of this practice, in terms of its forms, presuppositions, purposes and representations,
including the time framework in which it operates (broader than what it is usually
attributed to it).
In fact, the temporal vector of divination demands that in the field of research a
much greater relevance is assigned in contrast to what it has been traditionally recognized.
First, due to the importance of the temporal plot in which the time frame the divinatory
praxis is embedded in (its location in the calendar, its association to certain anniversaries
or ephemeris or to events of another nature equally indicated by chronology, its
development in the course of certain time frames, such as the day or the month, its
duration, the milestones that organize their ritual sequence and give meaning to their
execution, etc.). Secondly, because of the presence of "time" as a concept and idea, whether
mythical or historical, or even merely referential, in the elaboration, presentation and
reception of the different responses obtained through these practices.
This scientific meeting has a two-fold aim: first, to delve into the temporal
dimension of divination –understood, in a broad sense, as the set of procedures and
techniques that fall under that name–, focused on Rome, but also including other historical
and cultural frameworks, as the Italo-Etruscan or the Greek ones, that can explain the
broad context in which Roman practices are inserted, and second, to provide possible
models and references for them. To this end, the two axes mentioned above are
established as the main ways of approaching this phenomenon:
• Time as a discursive and conceptual component of the divinatory response;
• Time as a structural and functional element of the divinatory practice.
In the archaic Roman calendar the festivities of Anna Perenna and Minerva were closely connected to each other through a complex mythological and cultural system, concerning the celebration of post-pubescent transition rites at the beginning of the new year. The connection between these divinities is confirmed by the sacred significance of the number 5 for Minerva and by the etymological analysis of the noun Quinquatrus: both the number and the noun, in fact, are linked to the importance of the five-day period between the 15th and 19th of March, since this was the moment when the archaic Roman society ritually acknowledged the first appearance of menstrual blood and therefore celebrated the transformation of girls into women.
The lunar connotation, considered a ‘vanished’ characteristic of Minerva based on the discoveries of Lavinium, results instead as a distinctive aspect of her cult, that we can recognize in different fields: in the Quinquatrus, the main festivity of the goddess; in the topographical positioning of the most important urban sanctuaries; in the literary sources; and, probably, also in the etymology of the theonym itself. Surely a very ancient hallmark, connected to the nature of the goddess since her origins, to her
primitive function of supervisor of transitional feminine rites, as demonstrated by the ancient archaeological remains, and to the institutional measurement of flowing time, one of the reasons for the presence of the goddess on the Capitolium.
The connection between Minerva and Roman pueri, well known archaeologically in the
oldest Italic shrines of the goddess and documented by the presence of goddess Iuventas in the cella of Minerva of the Capitoline temple, can be also clearly revealed by a more detailed examination of some ancient sources; in this regard, the literary testimony concerning the practice of minerval, the protection of the goddess on the memory and, lastly, the numerous proofs of Minerva’s patronage on textile handicraft activities are absolutely crucial. Although pertaining to undoubtedly very different
fields, such competences of the goddess are reciprocally linked by a common thread, all of them being ascribable to a common genesis originating from the primitive cult of Minerva as tutelary goddess of post-puberty transitional rites.
ancient times, as an operation aimed at providing knowledge, inaccessible by other means,
about the future, whether taking place in the short or the long term. But, in contrast to this
conventional and rather simplified image, there is a long tradition of studies on this
important facet of the religious activity in antiquity which has revealed the rich complexity
of this practice, in terms of its forms, presuppositions, purposes and representations,
including the time framework in which it operates (broader than what it is usually
attributed to it).
In fact, the temporal vector of divination demands that in the field of research a
much greater relevance is assigned in contrast to what it has been traditionally recognized.
First, due to the importance of the temporal plot in which the time frame the divinatory
praxis is embedded in (its location in the calendar, its association to certain anniversaries
or ephemeris or to events of another nature equally indicated by chronology, its
development in the course of certain time frames, such as the day or the month, its
duration, the milestones that organize their ritual sequence and give meaning to their
execution, etc.). Secondly, because of the presence of "time" as a concept and idea, whether
mythical or historical, or even merely referential, in the elaboration, presentation and
reception of the different responses obtained through these practices.
This scientific meeting has a two-fold aim: first, to delve into the temporal
dimension of divination –understood, in a broad sense, as the set of procedures and
techniques that fall under that name–, focused on Rome, but also including other historical
and cultural frameworks, as the Italo-Etruscan or the Greek ones, that can explain the
broad context in which Roman practices are inserted, and second, to provide possible
models and references for them. To this end, the two axes mentioned above are
established as the main ways of approaching this phenomenon:
• Time as a discursive and conceptual component of the divinatory response;
• Time as a structural and functional element of the divinatory practice.
In the archaic Roman calendar the festivities of Anna Perenna and Minerva were closely connected to each other through a complex mythological and cultural system, concerning the celebration of post-pubescent transition rites at the beginning of the new year. The connection between these divinities is confirmed by the sacred significance of the number 5 for Minerva and by the etymological analysis of the noun Quinquatrus: both the number and the noun, in fact, are linked to the importance of the five-day period between the 15th and 19th of March, since this was the moment when the archaic Roman society ritually acknowledged the first appearance of menstrual blood and therefore celebrated the transformation of girls into women.
The lunar connotation, considered a ‘vanished’ characteristic of Minerva based on the discoveries of Lavinium, results instead as a distinctive aspect of her cult, that we can recognize in different fields: in the Quinquatrus, the main festivity of the goddess; in the topographical positioning of the most important urban sanctuaries; in the literary sources; and, probably, also in the etymology of the theonym itself. Surely a very ancient hallmark, connected to the nature of the goddess since her origins, to her
primitive function of supervisor of transitional feminine rites, as demonstrated by the ancient archaeological remains, and to the institutional measurement of flowing time, one of the reasons for the presence of the goddess on the Capitolium.
The connection between Minerva and Roman pueri, well known archaeologically in the
oldest Italic shrines of the goddess and documented by the presence of goddess Iuventas in the cella of Minerva of the Capitoline temple, can be also clearly revealed by a more detailed examination of some ancient sources; in this regard, the literary testimony concerning the practice of minerval, the protection of the goddess on the memory and, lastly, the numerous proofs of Minerva’s patronage on textile handicraft activities are absolutely crucial. Although pertaining to undoubtedly very different
fields, such competences of the goddess are reciprocally linked by a common thread, all of them being ascribable to a common genesis originating from the primitive cult of Minerva as tutelary goddess of post-puberty transitional rites.
important facet of the religious activity in antiquity which has revealed the rich complexity of this practice, in terms of its forms, presuppositions, purposes and representations, including the time framework in which it operates (broader than what it is usually attributed to it).
important facet of the religious activity in antiquity which has revealed the rich complexity of this practice, in terms of its forms, presuppositions, purposes and representations, including the time framework in which it operates (broader than what it is usually attributed to it).