Cults, Places, Anatomicals. New Insights on So-called Healing Sanctuaries in Latium

Abstract

While the archaeological and historical record for ancient Greece provides good insight
on healing cults – understood as cults specialized in healing – this kind of information
is widely lacking for Republican Italy. As the written sources remain silent on
the topic and archaeological features of specific structures of healing sites are rather
scarce, anatomical votives were hitherto understood as indicators for healing cults.
These votives, which replicate single parts of human bodies such as limbs, sensory
organs or internal organs were dedicated during the 4th to 1st century BCE in the
sanctuaries of Central Italy, where several hundred sites with multiple thousands of
anatomical votives are known. However, their archaeological contexts – e.g. the topography
of the sites as well as the associated finds – have not yet been the subject of
much focused research. Featuring a holistic and contextualising approach, this paper
presents the analysis of more than 100 sites in Latium with a total of over 15,000
anatomical votives. Based on this data, these sites can be divided into two main groups
which differ in their location, the composition of the dedicated votives, the venerated
deities and probably the dedicants. Their connection to healing is critically reviewed.

Keywords: Anatomical votives, healing cults, ELC Complex, Latium, Roman Republic