by Horatius Piscinus on Mon May 26, 2003 3:41 pm
Salve mi amice care
Avete Romani...
I'm a bit out of my element in the RP right now, and I shan't be able to come unstuck until I have the answers (or best-educated guesses) to a few very simple questions (on their surface).
I think best guesses is all anyone could come up with. But, hey, your welcome in my element. Just dangle your feet over the edge of the hammock into my piscina, the Koi don't seem to mind.
(You'll have to forgive my 20th-century Christian perspective on what "church" is like, but I was used to being inside my places of worship, even during off-hours [say, for counseling or prayer meetings or something like that]. I say "20th-century perspective" because I have not gone to a house of worship at any time in the 21st.)
What exactly would a just-plain-Roman do at a Temple?
First, by temple, if you are thinking in terms of a modern Christian church, the Romans did not have them. A templum was a precinct, usually enclosed by either a wall or hedge, or line of trees perhaps. In such a precinct would be various facilities, some of which would be where your just-plain-Roman could go to do the things of which you enquire. But the Temple, that is, the aedes that was the house of a god, ordinary folk were not allowed inside. During festivals the doors might be opened so that the faithful could look inside and see an image of the god. More commonly images were brought out of the aedes and placed on couches on the portico of an aedes, or else they might be seen when placed on carts for processions. An aedes had a staff, mostly public slaves, to attend to the god. Seneca gives a glimpse of the attendants on the Capitolium, including hairdressers, those who bathed and oiled, announced visitor and even one fellow who called out the hours of the day to the image of Jupiter. But you did not walk in off the street into the house of a god.
I'm pretty sure most of the public stuff took place outside, on the front steps...but would an ordinary Roman, come to pay his respects to a particular God, still park himself on the porch, or could he go inside? Would he be permitted to gaze upon the image of the God? Maybe leave an offering there?
Pay your respects, leave an offering, maybe catch a glimpse, sure. But not in the aedes or even on its front step most likely. The main altar was always outdoors, under the open sky where the gods might observe from above. That though was the public altar for public rites. In the templum would be other buildings where such things more likely took place. Most temple precincts had dining rooms, three to nine, usually very small, to hold a party of no more than fifteen, and more often fewer. For larger dining events some temple precincts did have large dining halls, but more often you would have larger groups hold picnics under the trees (most temple complexes were more like parks with zoos, libraries, theaters, and just happened to have the aedes of a god or two). It was in these little dining rooms, halls, porticos, or chapels that a person could place a small devotional altar on which to pour libations or burn incense. Other sacrifices were purchased on the grounds and the actual sacrifice was performed by the priests as part of the daily rites. There is one inscription giving the prices for sacrifices, that comes from Ostia I believe.
As for parking yourself, many did, and never left. Of course certain temple precincts offered sanctuary for slaves and debtors. That is where the Christians got their idea for sanctuary. Just as at Christian churches, the person would work in the complex, sweeping, painting, begging, not as a priest necessarily, but he or she also could not leave. Then too several temple complexes did have inns. Many were between cities rather than in cities, and temples became one of the safest places to stop along your journey. But even if you were a local, the local temple precinct is where you went to hang out, for a quick meal and a show (all theaters were in temple complexes), or just to enjoy the shade, as these served as parks do today.
I remember something about pilgrims to the Temple of Aesculapius 'sacrificing' clay images of injured body parts, then spending the night in the Temple in hopes of a divine healing. Did any other Temples do anything like that?
The practice of incubation was widely used throughout Italy before the cultus of Aesculapis arrived from Greece. We hear of it mostly in conjunction with Faunus, and these take place in groves, outdoors rather than in buildings it sems. When you went to see Aesculapis you did not exactly sleep inside His aedes but in special rooms meant for incubations. These, like dining halls might be placed along the outside wall of an aedes, each with a separate entry and without access into the aedes itself. Otherwise it would be at a separate building altogether. Apparently not all incubations were made for healing. You could ask priests to help you with an incubation where you might call on a favorite god to see who would win the next chariot race. Dreams were the most common type of oracles, and oracles were used for everything.
At all temple precincts there were testamonials made of the god or goddess' benefice. That is where your clay votives came in. There would also be clay votives of figures, of deities, of loaves of bread, or sometimes utensiles. A very old cultus in Latium had figurines of young men and young women (these dressed in wedding costumes) left as votives. This may have been the practice when a person entered into adulthood. The youth donning his toga virilis, and the bride on the eve of her wedding would make visits to specific temples, the later rites we know something about perhaps related to the earlier rites that involved such votives. Then too, the temple precincts, their walls, all the columns, all the buildings, were covered in written testimonials. (White letters on red, or red letters on white) These told of miracle cures, prayers answered, prophecies fulfilled and so on.
What if a Roman had a personal problem with spiritual dimensions, and he just wanted to talk to a Priest? Where would he find the Priest--in the Temple itself, or in a dwelling-place nearby, or...?
As in, "sounds like a personal problem, to see the chaplain"? I suppose it would depend on how the Romans might consider a problem to be. Normally a person would consult with family and friends over personal problems, or if he felt the need of a more authoritative counselor he would go for advice to the house of a person of importance. Like going to his neighborhood "Godfather." But for somethings a person would go to a temple precinct to seek advice.
During the late Republic, if you were ill, there were some Greek doctors in Rome. The first to come to the City was Archagathus around 220 BCE. Really not until the time of Trajan were there a number of doctors available, even different schools competing for business. Most Romans would instead seek medical advice at a temple precinct, close to which or in which would be such "doctor's offices," charletons of all kinds, and then the priests as well. A sacredotus might provide you with some known cure, more like magical spells, or offer you the services of the temple for an incubation by which to consult a god directly, or else would recommend purification rites involving sacrifice to a number of deities.
Spiritual counselling in a more modern sense apparently was offered by some priests. I suppose the best indication is the story of Pontifex Maximus Licinius Crassus compelling Valerius Flaccus to become flamen Dialis and change his former habits. Or you might consider the case where the censors Veturius and Licinius ( the same Pontifex Maximus as with Valerius) compelled Marcus Livius to give up his mourning dress, shave, and return to the Senate. The higher priests could and did interfer into people's lives, advising them on their behavior, at times probably at the request of family members. For this you would go to their houses, see the "Godfather" as it were. You could do the same at a temple precinct with some of the lesser priests. Remember that some temple sacredoti were public slaves, learned men and women retained at a temple precinct. But others had to be citizens, which meant they were freeborn or freedmen. The sacredotus of the Bona Dea was a free woman, known to have prescribed remedies for women, probably advise on dealing with children and husbands as well. Also prominent in temple precincts would be philosophers. It was in the precincts that they would give dissertations because that is where crowds gathered. You might go talk to one of them. Plotinus we know was sought out for advice by many people, rich and poor, from the emperor down, and that he took in orphaned children, or else was made their guardians by a parent's will. Anyway there were a variety of people that would be in a temple precinct and you would seek them out as they strolled about, followed by crowds, almost in a carnival atmosphere.
And were all Gods worshipped in Temples...or did some of Them, e.g. Diana, still prefer Their sacred groves? If so, what went on in those places?
Ah, an interesting question. Not all gods had temples at Rome, not in the manner you speak. An aedes is more of an exception. The nature of the deity determined whether Their grove would also have an aedes. Faunus had groves in different parts of Italy. Livy does mention a temple vowed to him on the isle in the Tiber, but that too may have been a grove without an aedes. Could you worship just any old god at a temple? No. When an aedes, sacellum, or altar was dedicated there was usually included some rule that governed what could and could not be done. I know of one inscription for an altar that did allow it to be used for any deity, but not for one's Lares. Most of the time an altar was dedicated for a specific deity, or perhaps a group of deities. There were different kinds of altars that may have played into this. Some altars were mobile, being made of terracotta and no larger than a bread box. Some in this category could be quite large and had holes in them by which to be carried by poles. Most of the ones I have seen were intended for marriage or funerary services. Then there were the votive altars, a small pillar, knee high to chest high, always with an inscription to a specific deity. The public altars, U-shaped like the Ara Pacis or those at Lavinium, would have their own templum, that is it own little walled off precinct, dedicated and with its own rule. The Ara Pacis had a rather elaborate wall surrounding it if you recall. The old fanum, before any aedes was built, consisted of only an altar and column inside an enclosing wall, such as the fanum beneath the Lapis Niger now usually identifed (wrongly in my opinion) as the Volcanal. Those larger altars too, AFAIK were most often dedicated to a single deity.
With the Capitolium you have a single building, an aedes, that had three cells, each separately dedicated to a god or goddess. In the Capitolium templum, that is the temple district in which the temple building sat, there were other altars and sacella to other deities, and each of these would have their own templum partitioned off from the larger Capitolium templum. Also is the case of Claudius Marcellus who attempted to vow a joint temple to Virtus and Honos, but was prevented by the pontifices. The reason given was that if a bolt of lightning hit the temple it could not be determined which deity had been offended. It was a simple matter that in the Religio Romana each space used for worship had to be dedicated to a specific deity and no other. Likewise at a ritual, each deity must be called upon separately and given their own sacrifice. One does not pour a libation of wine to be shared by a multitude of deities. The only exceptions would be collective deities, like the Nymphs of Ceres, the Manes, the Penates, or something of a similar nature.
What went on in a sacred grove? Maybe you could be more specific in what you are asking. Quick answer, everything. Especially in the smaller towns and cities, templa contained what are today our theaters, mals, stadiums, parks, libraries, as well as the religious areas. The templum was the center of life. And a locus that is usually translated as a sacred grove, was a templum.
I suspect the answers to these will depend somewhat on which God/dess is being addressed. My character will be visiting Diana, Mars Ultor, and Vesta for sure, and I have scenes in mind for at least Mars and Diana.
And under what guise will your character be going? Marius the old soldier is not about to walk into the Temple of Vesta. The Grove of Diana on Agidius, or like that at Aricia, is a large enclosed park to wind through before getting to a place to leave an offering. The Temple of Mars Ultor would probably be a different experience. Probably that is where you will purchase a sacrifice be made in your name, like buying your indulgences I guess. Maybe if you were more specific in what you want your character to do or see we can go through each separately.
Any and all help in drawing me an accurate and playable picture will be deeply appreciated!
Cum magnas et profundas gratias,
I have posted before on this subject, at other lists. One recently was a series to distinguish out the various kinds of sacred places to be found in the Religio Romana. I will forward some of these here so you may get a better idea of the distinctions I refer to above.
Vale optime mi amice, et bonum habe animum
Moravius Piscinus
[i]
M Horatius Piscinus
Sapere aude!