Chapter Five. The historical and religious context of vows fulfilled in etruscan temple foundations

Abstract

While the Roman sources allow following the creation of a temple from the initial vow to the selection of a site, the actual construction, and the final dedication, the lack of comparable Etruscan textual documentation makes it necessary to view the creation of Etruscan temples with different criteria. This chapter examines some of the important Etruscan temples for which a cultural context can be suggested primarily on the basis of archaeological and general historical evidence. In addition to the emphasis on the location of temples, Roman temples are usually associated with an individual in whose name the building was vowed. The chapter suggests that the concept of the vow or contractual bargaining with the gods is something that applied much more to the individual efforts of ambitious politicians in the Roman Republic than it ever did to the Etruscan cities, including Rome during the reign of the Etruscan Tarquins. Keywords: Etruscan history; Etruscan religion; Etruscan temples; Roman temples; vows