IL LUNGO VIAGGIO DI EPONA: DALLE GALLIE A ROMA

Abstract

This paper offers a general overview on the cult of Epona, the Celtic goddess of horses, and on its spreading
from the Gallic lands to Italy and to Rome. The analysis starts from the epigraphic and iconographic
evidences found in the Western provinces of the Empire, where the cult originated, and then it focuses on
the military inscriptions found along the Empire’s borders, where Epona was particularly venerated by the
auxiliary cavalry units. The second part of the article examines the few evidences of Epona in Italy, in particular
the calendar of Guidizzolo (Mantua), which records a feast of Epona on 18th of December. The third
and last part focuses on the military cult of Epona in Rome, where it is attested in the collective dedications
of the equites singulares Augusti for a short period of time (132-141 AD).