An external view: architecture and ritual in central Italy

Conference item

This comparative paper discusses two ways in which Etrusco-Italic temples were differentiated from surrounding buildings during the Etruscan Archaic period (approximately 580-480 BC): firstly, by the introduction of a religious aesthetic for the exteriors of cult buildings that distinguished them from vernacular architecture; and, secondly, by the erection, in select contexts, of precinct boundaries. These changes created new settings for religious activities and may reflect a changed conception of the divine and its role in ancient communities. Beyond exploring these changes in design, however, it attempts to move from studying the appearance of sanctuary buildings to considering the ways in which they were experienced by ancient worshippers, questioning whether visual differentiation necessarily conveyed physical or conceptual segregation. It suggests that the two methods of delineation adopted in the Archaic period could represent a desire to create an inclusive rather than exclusive experience, and in so doing challenges simple readings of the demarcation of the sacred in antiquity.

Authors: Potts, CR

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Reviewed (other)
• Publisher: Editorial Committee of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome
• Host title: The stuff of the gods : The material aspects of religion in ancient Greece
• Journal: ActaAth-4°
• Volume: 59
• Pages: 167-180
• Chapter number: 13
• Publication date: 2024-01-01
• Acceptance date: 2021-03-13
• ISBN: 9789179160685
• Language: English