The origin of Antinous cult in Roman settlement near Sočanica

Abstract

A Roman settlement, located near the village of Sočanica, was partly explored around 1960's. Systematic excavations headed by archaeologist E. Čerškov and resulted in quite a large number of mobile and immobile finds helped form a clearer picture of the history, economy and urban layout of the settlement known as Municipium DD. With this paper we want to draw attention to the temple of Antinous, in particular to the origin of Antinous cult in Sočanica. Apart from Lanuvium, Carnuntum and Hadrian's villa in Tivoli, where this cult has been confirmed with epigraphic evidence, the temples consecrated to Antinous are rare in the western part of the Roman Empire. Judging by the spatial organization and some aspects of the cult, the sanctuary has certain analogy with the sacred complexes erected in Greece in the time of the emperor Hadrian. In Municipium DD there occurred the binding of the Antinous cult, in the form which it was practiced in the West, with the cult practices conducted in East. While in the western parts the followers of the cult belonged to the circle of Emperor's closest associates, imperial slaves, and freed slaves; in the eastern parts of the empire the initiators were senators and wealthy citizens of Greek origin who in this way wanted to show their devotion to the Emperor. For the same reasons the cult was introduced in Sočanica.

Keywords

• Antinous
• cult
• temple
• Hadrian
• Municipium DD
• Sočanica