Defining the Ritual, Analyzing Society.

Tanja van Loon

E-mail: t.van.loon rug.nl

Promotor: prof. P.A.J. Attema

Period of employment: 1 September 2010 - 1 September 2015

Financed by: NWO

Project Description:

Sanctuaries in protohistoric Latium vetus, south of Rome, are known for their large accumulations of votive gifts. In the earliest phase of Latial society these sanctuaries occur near natural phenomena, such as caves, springs and mountain tops. One of the earliest protohistoric sanctuaries in Latium vetus can be found in a small, spring fed lake, called Laghetto del Monsignore, located near present-day Campoverde in the vicinity (at a distance of 4 km) of the ancient settlement Satricum. Around 11.400 objects from this sanctuary, consisting mostly of pottery, metal objects and bone material form the primary data for a PhD research into the relationship between ritual behaviour at (natural) cult places and social change in Latial society.

Three fundamental issues are raised, these relate to:

1. The study and interpretation of persistence and change in the ritual practiced at Laghetto del Monsignore.

2. Contextualization of the cult place in its regional context.

3. Inferences on the relationship between changes in cult practices and socio-political change in contemporary Latial society.