Scientists have discovered the remains of an ancient Roman temple. This is a very special example: a temple of the imperial cult that is said to have been built during the time of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor. Even more remarkable: Constantine himself had ordered the construction of the temple, which was intended for the veneration of his own family.
Constantine the Great is an important figure: he laid the foundation for the Christian phase of the Roman Empire, which later developed into the Byzantine Empire. He was the first Roman Emperor to promise Christians that they could practice their religion freely. However, it now appears that the transition to Christianity may have been one of the most difficult challenges for Constantine: on the one hand he was Christian himself, on the other hand the Roman Empire still had numerous pagan customs that have now become part of the culture. had become. The fact that Constantine found himself in a kind of split is evident from the discovery of a temple that archaeologists visited during the annual meeting of the Archeological Institute of America have presented.
Imperial cult
The discovery of the temple is particularly significant, but requires some explanation. For example, in the past there was a pagan religious tradition within the Roman Empire that we today also know as the imperial cult. The central idea of the imperial cult was that some families had divine status and could therefore be worshipped. You can compare this with how the Egyptians used to see their pharaohs as gods, or how the Japanese have long thought that their emperor also had a divine status. The imperial cult originally arose after the death of Julius Caesar, after which he took the title two got. “There used to be no separation between church and state, and the proud sense of patriotism that many Romans had was everywhere,” explains researcher Douglas Boin. He is part of the team that discovered the Roman temple that clearly bears witness to the imperial cult and dates from the time of the Christian Constantine. “For example, various games were organized on the birthdays of Roman emperors, during which animals were also slaughtered to worship the favorite emperors. These religious festivals were very important in creating a sense of togetherness in the Roman Empire.”
Inscription
The story of the temple begins with such a festival. Some time ago an inscription was found by the residents of the town of Spello, addressed to Constantine the Great. According to the inscription, the inhabitants of Spello were eager to participate in such a festival, but did not feel like having to travel a long time to a larger city. That is why they asked the emperor if they could also celebrate the festival locally. The answer: Yes, as long as you build a great temple that honors the Flavius family; the family of Constantine the Great. So that temple has now been found. “I think the most surprising thing is how big the temple must have been,” says Boin. “Thanks to an inscription, researchers have known for a long time that the residents of the village of Spello built a temple to honor the holy family of Constantine. The inscription itself refers to the construction of this temple as a ‘gigantic task’. The temple shows us that paganism was an inescapable presence in the later stages of the Roman Empire, even during the reign of the first Christian Roman Emperor.”
Balance
The research mainly shows that Constantine the Great had to repeatedly find the balance between his Christianity and the pagan traditions of the Roman Empire, and that the transition from paganism to Christianity was therefore a lot less black and white than the most people think. Boin explains: “According to scholars, only about 10 percent of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire were Christian, and it is difficult to know what they thought of the imperial cult. However, it is remarkable that there is quite a lot of evidence that many Christians simply participated in these festivals. Therefore, it is not at all surprising to me that Constantine eventually encouraged the people of Spillo to build a temple. Paganism was not then doomed; it was a living tradition that had been maintained by many emperors. But how Constantine balanced the imperial cult with his commitment to Christianity is a truly fascinating question.”
Political game
Although Constantine the Great himself did not ban paganism, there were Christian emperors after him who did. For example, Theodosius later declared Christianity the state religion. Boin concludes: “The law and the political game played a major role in changing the old world. By the end of the fourth century, Christian emperors had already done their best to banish almost all pagan traditions. It is unlikely that this happened overnight, but their practice of stigmatizing pagan traditions left a deep impression. What is strange, however, is that the imperial cult in particular seems to have been an exception. Thus, Christian emperors continued to hold the title two carry until the end of the fifth century. Pagan emperors are known for often using a mixture of patriotism, ideology and religion. This research shows that Christian emperors did not differ in this regard.”
