Roman altar
In ancient Rome, the worship of the gods played an important role - Roman altars were the center of every cultic action. Today, it is easy to imagine Roman altars like the ones we know today from Christian churches. But to draw a parallel here leads to fatal errors. Roman altars formed the absolute center of the place of worship. A Roman sanctuary, i.e. the place where cults were practiced, the temporary residence of the respective worshipped gods, did not necessarily need a temple - contrary to common belief. An altar was quite sufficient to sacrifice to the god or goddess and usually to burn the offerings.
Large Roman altars could belong to a temple, their location was never indoors, but always outdoors in front of the temple. Roman altars were more often found detached from temples, at countless places in the open air, at springs, at rivers, at mountains, at caves - everywhere where divine activity could be assumed.
- real alabaster plaster patinated
- can be used with incense sticks
The religion of the Romans
The importance of Roman religion and godliness cannot be overestimated. The pietas, religiousness, was crucial as a civic ideal and as a virtue for every citizen and also for the state. Behind every feast, every military campaign, every political and every major private action, there were fundamentally important religious processes, such as the reading of the omens, the preceding sacrifice and the thanksgiving sacrifice at the end. Some of the most important offices of the Republic were those of the priests; in the imperial period the principes also basically held the office of the highest priest, the Pontifex Maximus. Just as great as in the public sphere was the role of religion in the private sphere.
The ancient Romans worshipped the genii of their ancestors at home - in addition there were cults of the various household gods, for example the Lares or the Penates. They also used altars for this purpose, which were often somewhat smaller than those open to the public, to burn incense or make libations.
The Roman altar for your home
The replica of a Roman altar from our museum store is a copy of a typical original house altar, as it could be found in every Roman house. The 13 cm high Roman altar not only looks good in the living room or bedroom, it is also great for the reception area of your home or even for the terrace or balcony. Light incense tabs on it and let our Roman altar take you back in time.
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