AN INSCRIPTION FROM NORTHERN ITALY, THE ROMAN TEMPLE COMPLEX IN BATH AND MINERVA AS A HEALING GODDESS IN GALLO‐ROMAN RELIGION *

Abstract

SummaryThis article is about a dedication to Minerva by a Roman officer, made in a healing sanctuary in northern Italy, fulfilling a vow he had taken in Britain(?) In both northern Italy and in Britain Minerva was sometimes venerated as a healing goddess, for example at the spa of Bath which had possibly been visited by the officer in search of a cure. It is argued that this cult originated in the equation of pre‐Roman healing goddesses who had similar functions to Minerva. The inscription is taken as a starting point for an investigation into the geographical distribution and form of the cult in general. A major aim of this compilation of evidence is to show that central aspects of the veneration of Minerva as a healing goddess which are only attested in single cases can be taken with caution as comparative examples for her cult in other sanctuaries such as Bath, thus giving (despite many uncertainties) a more complete and vivid picture of the complexity of the religious life there and an idea of the attitude of people towards the goddess and of their hopes and emotions.