The Preservation, Restoration, and (Re)Construction of Pagan Cult Places in Late Antiquity, with Particular Attention to Mainland Greece (Fourth–Fifth Centuries)

Abstract

This paper focuses on a very neglected question, the construction and restoration of pagan cult structures in the fourth and fifth centuries. Mainland Greece is privileged as the area of study in order to make parallels with other parts of the empire. The first part, dedicated to imperial legislation and policy, deals first with the problem of attributing the restoration of temples to the emperor Julian and then with the inconsistencies and ambiguities that appear in a few laws related to these sacred (re)constructions. There follows an attempt to reconstruct the building process: was it spontaneous or legally anticipated and decided? To what extent are we able to identify those responsible for such initiatives? The concluding part of this study deals with the double meaning one could associate with the (re)building of cult places: does it reflect the continuity of pagan ritual practices or the survival of Greek paideia ?