Religion in Pompeii and Herculaneum

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Religion in Pompeii and Herculaneum

• Foreign Cults

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Foreign cults
Other
Greek
Egyptian
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Greek Religion

• Devotion to Greek Gods was common in Pompeii
  before the eruption. Idols such as Hercules,
  Dionysus and Apollo were openly worshipped as
  seen through a collection of temples, statues and
  frescoes found in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Some
  Roman Deities were versions of Greek gods, an
  example being the Patron of Pompeii, Venus, who
  was based on the Greek Goddess Aphrodite.

There are a number of Greek temples including the
Doric Temple the Temple of Apollo and the Temple
of Bacchus each situated in or near Pompeii.
Hercules is also believed to have been the
founder of Herculaneum, there are a number of
statues and frescoes depicting the god but no
temple has yet been excavated.
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Fresco from Herculaneum , Hercules and Omphale.
This painting displays Hercules stands beside the
enthroned Lydian Queen Omphale. Above him is the
winged goddess Nike, and a Satyr-boy or the god
Pan holding a set of pipes. By his feet are an
eagle, a lion, and the hero's infant son Telephos
suckling a doe. There is a substantial amount of
sources from the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii
that depict the Greek god Hercules including the
Doric-style temple in the Triangular
forumbelieved to have been dedicated to
Hercules.
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Mosaic from House of Mysteries, Pompeii
This mosaic portrays the Greek god Dionysus who
was given the Roman name Bacchus. He was the god
of fertility and divine intoxication and was
especially popular in this area due to the high
number of wine growers in the region. The Roman
senate discouraged this cult due to its secret
and excessive nature, however it was not
forbidden. The temple of Dionysus can be found
outside of Pompeiis walls.
This cult at its least exacting level, tended to
succumb to mere sensuality, with the afterlife
pictured as a sexy debauch and many were the
drinking and dining clubs that assumed the
exalted patronage of Bacchus.
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Temple of Apollo, Pompeii
Apollo, god of light, was of Greek origins
believed to have been introduced into Pompeii in
the 6th Century BC. The Roman Emperor Augustus
adopted Apollo as his patron and associated the
god with his Golden Age. The temple of Apollo
was very important and elaborate, being situated
on the western end of the forum in Pompeii.
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Egyptian Cults Cult of Isis
The cult of the Egyptian goddess, Isis, was a
widespread religion in Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Believed to have originated in this region either
through trade, or foreign women as suggested by
Louise Zarmati in Women and Eros. The Temple of
Isis is situated near the Theatres and was one of
the first temples to be rebuilt after the
earthquake of 62AD. The Cult was open to a both
sexes though nearly one-third of worshippers
mentioned in the inscriptions are female. There
is a considerable amount of evidence of the
presence of this cult in Herculaneum but no
temple has been found so far.
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Fresco from temple of Isis, Pompeii
This painting depicts Isis receiving Io at
Canopus. Io is carried before Isis on the back of
a dark-skinned Egyptian god. She is crowned with
a pair of cow horns. Isis sits with an adder
coiled around her arm, and beside her son
Harpokrates with finger pressed to his lips. This
fresco is useful as it provides evidence on the
nature of Isis and also depicts some of the
implements used in the cult.
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Fresco from Herculaneum depicting rituals of the
Cult of Isis.
The worship of Isis is depicted in this
wall-painting from Herculaneum. Through this
fresco the rituals and practices of the cult can
be extracted as well as evidence that the worship
of Isis took place in this region.
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Temple of Isis, Pompeii
The Temple of Isis was one of the first public
buildings to be repaired after the Earthquake in
62AD, establishing the significance of the cult.
It was surrounded by high walls to maintain
secrecy and inside there were a variety of
statues and paintings depicting the Egyptian
goddess. There is a considerable amount of
evidence of the presence of this cult in
Herculaneum but no temple has been found so far.
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Fresco from the Temple of Isis
This fresco displays a priest of the cult of Isis
reading a scroll of papyrus held out in front of
him. It is useful as it provides information on
the dress of the priests of the cult as well as
its practices. This is one of the many paintings
depicting Egyptian priests with shaved heads.
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Other Cults Sabazius, Christianity and Judaism
There is also evidence of other cults in the
towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Through cult
objects found in Pompeii the presence of the cult
of Sabazius has been suggested. There is various
evidence for the existence of Judaism including
graffito of Judaic names, frescoes and the
presence of Jews in nearby areas. There is much
speculation as to whether Christianity was
practiced, however, there is no concluding
evidence to support this.
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Fresco of Venus And Marsfrom the House of Mars
And Venus, Pompeii.
This fresco illustrates Venus (Aphrodite) in the
arms of Mars (Ares) the god of war. Their sons,
the winged Cupid (Eros) and wingless Formido
(Phobos), play with the arms of the god. This
painting in particular displays the similarities
in Roman and Greek religion, with many Greek
idols being transformed into Roman deities.
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Hand of Sabazius
Sabazius was the god of vegetation from Thrace
(Northern Greece) and Phrygia (Asia Minor).
Several of these bronze hands have been found in
both Pompeii and Herculaneum. The bronze hands
are interpreted as mantic hands, that is ritual
hands that were used in a rite of divination or
soothsaying. The fingers are arranged in gesture
of blessing and in the palm of the hand is a
seated figure of Sabazius.
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Judgement of Solomon, House of the Physician,
Pompeii.
This fresco represents the Old Testament story of
the Judgement of Solomon, as well as several
sources of Graffiti suggest the presence of
Judaism in Pompeii and Herculaneum before the
eruption.