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Archeologists find Roman temple that bridges pagan and Christian worlds
Jan 05, 2024 02:00 PM EST
Douglas Boin, a history professor at Saint Louis University (SLU), made an announcement at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America.
His revelation: the discovery of an ancient Roman temple in Italy, a finding poised to revolutionize historical perspectives on the transition from pagan traditions to Christianity within the Roman Empire during the fourth century AD.
This discovery started in the town of Spello, where Boin's excavation team unearthed three walls of what is believed to be a monumental structure—a Roman temple dating back to Emperor Constantine's era.
Contrary to prevailing historical narratives, this finding offers insights into the fluidity between the classical pagan world and the burgeoning Christian Roman world.
The selection of Spello for excavation stemmed from a rescript contained in a 4th-century letter from Emperor Constantine.
This decree granted the townspeople the liberty to host a religious festival locally, contingent upon their construction of a temple honoring Constantine's divine ancestors, the Flavian family. This requirement illuminates the rich multicultural fabric woven into Roman society during that period.
Professor Boin, renowned for his expertise in ancient Roman history and religious transitions, explained the significance of this discovery in bridging historical gaps.
"Our find challenges the traditional understanding of religious practices associated with the late imperial cult beneath a Christian ruler," remarked Boin. "It highlights a remarkable religious continuum between the pagan and early Christian worlds."
This temple is taken as the most substantial evidence of the Imperial Cult in fourth-century Italy and the late Roman Empire and offers a vivid portrayal of the slow-paced societal changes during that period. Its presence underscores the resilience of pagan traditions despite the increasing influence of Christianity, fundamentally reshaping perceptions of the pace and impact of cultural change in ancient Rome.
The discovery has far-reaching implications, reshaping scholarly narratives about the gradual societal shifts of the time. While Constantine famously embraced Christianity, it took almost seven decades for Christianity to gain official recognition as the Roman Empire's religion under Emperor Theodosius.
Boin explained, "This building, in a radical way, exhibits the enduring presence of ancient pagan traditions amidst the evolving landscape of Christianity. It shows how Roman emperors navigated their values and aspirations without erasing the past."
The SLU historian and his team are poised to return to Spello for further excavation, eager to uncover the full extent of the temple's remains and unravel more revelations. This monumental discovery disrupts conventional historical paradigms, offering a nuanced understanding of the complex cultural and religious shifts during a critical juncture in Roman history.
The study's results were published on January 5.
https://interestingengineering.com/culture/archeologists-roman-temple-pagan-christian
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