Defining the Divine in Rome: In memoriam S. R. F. Price

Abstract

Recent analysis of the imperial cult has argued that it can be best understood in terms of the lack of a fundamental division between gods and humans at Rome worshiping a human as a god was accordingly not a transgressive act. This paper challenges this interpretation, demonstrating that gods and humans were indeed usually conceived as separate species of being. The imperial cult was thus transgressive in theory; however, it primarily operated in contexts where that could be overlooked and the worship of humans as gods accordingly appeared unproblematic.

Divine Representation in Documentary Style: Gods on the Columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius

“…Davies 2017: 49-50, 60, 74, 80-2, 153, 156, 165, 219. Victory's importance in cult andthought: Hölscher 1967;Fears 1981: 804-24;Claridge 2010: 126. On the denition of Roman gods: Kunckel 1974: 8-13 (Genii);Spannagel 2000;Rüpke 2007: 65-85;Clark 2007;Levene 2012: 53-73. 96 Arch of Titus: Pfanner 1983.…”

“…Victory's importance in cult and thought: Hölscher 1967; Fears 1981: 804–24; Claridge 2010: 126. On the definition of Roman gods: Kunckel 1974: 8–13 (Genii); Spannagel 2000; Rüpke 2007: 65–85; Clark 2007; Levene 2012: 53–73.…”