Archaeologists Blömer and Winter present finds from excavations in South-East Turkey
The cult of Iuppiter Dolichenus, the local deity of the small town of Doliche in modern South-East Turkey, rapidly spread to large parts of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century CE. The debate surrounding the so-called oriental cults in the Roman Empire as well as the results of the excavations undertaken in the sanctuary of Doliche have provided grounds for a re-evaluation of various aspects of the cult.
The papers compiled in this volume are written from an archaeological and historical perspective and examine a wide spectrum of questions, from the importance of the cult in the West, the means by which it spread and its status within the Roman army to the role of women in the cult. Furthermore, this book contains a comprehensive analysis of the known sanctuaries of Iuppiter Dolichenus, a presentation of the finds from the Danube region and an extensive report on the then newly discovered sanctuary of the god at Vindolanda. By touching upon such diverse issues, the volume contributes to our understanding of the position of the cult of Iuppiter Dolichenus within the religious belief system of the Roman Empire.
Literature: Blömer, Michael, and Engelbert Winter (eds.), Iuppiter Dolichenus. Vom Lokalkult zur Reichsreligion (Orientalische Religionen in der Antike, vol. 8), Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2012 (with contributions from Michael Blömer, Holger Schwarzer, and Engelbert Winter).
