- Real Title: Military Communities and Temple Patronage: A Case Study of Britain and Pannonia - PDF: [[davidwalshMilitaryCommunitiesTemple2020.pdf]] - Related:: [[2022.02.09a Temples as military bases & other sacred violations]] ## Highlights ### id283952884 Roman military stopped sponsoring temple construction > emperors of the late third century CE came from this social milieu, and their disposition toward temples would have been affected by their experiences during military service. I demonstrate here how and why support for temple construction, repair, and expansion among the military communities in two of the most militarized provinces, Britain and Pannonia, decreased dramatically after the early third century and why certain temples (Mithraea and Dolichena) did not similarly decline. This examination also reveals how the changing relationship between military communities and temples influenced the attitudes of late third-century emperors toward temple construction and repair. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbanxn553jfn1ap7m92me5x) ### id283953065 being a Roman town councillor declined in attractiveness > in order to join the local town council, one was obliged to fund the construction and repair of public buildings, often including temples, for the benefit of the community. This wealth requirement meant that membership of town councils was only open to a select few in Roman society, yet, from the third century CE on, serving as a town councillor became less attractive as a career path, and there is a consequent decline in euergetism. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbaqd9qqmjcykmf5rcjxnjf) ### id283953902 soldiers are agents for spreading culture , soldiers are often presented as the foremost agents in the spread of Roman culture,8 which in the northwest provinces included the construction of structures to house religious practices. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbb3nzen4eca4nprj66hrkt) ### id283953908 the relative pay of Roman soldiers decreased in the 3rd century BCE > investment in the construction and repair of temples associated with the military community in Britain and Pannonia changed from the end of the first century CE to the early fourth century. Evidence provided here shows that, in both provinces, there was a drastic reduction in financial support for temples connected to the military community during the third to early fourth centuries and that the possible factors leading to this decline consist of: the absence of direct imperial stimulus following the Severan period; the difficulty faced by soldiers in supporting such projects when garrisons were reduced in size or the soldiers’ relative pay decreased; the changing nature of euergetism in Roman society; and the trend away from using temples to demonstrate a relationship with the divine in a military environment. Finally, the article explores why temples dedicated to Mithras and Jupiter Dolichenus (commonly referred to as Mithraea and Dolichena) continued to be built and repaired, and how their continuing popularity led to the Tetrarchs’ unprecedented decision to fund the repair of a Mithraeum at Carnuntum. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbb4dnjp9y23r81j1deyykk) ### id283953910 Roman forts could host most religious functions > Finally, it is possible that, beginning in the early third century, spaces within forts were adapted to accommodate religious activities but these adapted spaces are not archaeologically visible. The Dolichenum inside the fort at Vindolanda and the Mithraeum inside the tribune’s house at the Aquincum fort indicate that, although a rarity, it was possible for unofficial religious spaces (i.e., other than the shrine of the standards) to be installed in forts. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbb6d99swddsgtptwyj6zt1) > If, as was postulated above, temples were increasingly viewed as superfluous among military communities, then there would be little reason to continue conducting rituals outside the forts. However, the conversion of spaces inside forts to a religious use is not easily detectable. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbb6pdfs0s5b496r2p4j739) ### id283953921 small congregations have higher engagement > As sociological studies have demonstrated, such circumstances, in which congregations are kept relatively small, generate a particularly high level of commitment among the congregation members, as the small size allows them to build social bonds with a significant percentage of their fellow worshippers, unlike in congregations numbering in the hundreds or thousands.98 Furthermore, one’s commitment to a group can be enhanced by repetitive participation in ritual activities, especially initiations. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbb89mp3qknpsd4zyxat911) ### id283953926 initiation rites create strong social bonds > A prospective Mithraic initiate would need to have complete faith in his fellow Mithras worshippers, as he would be stripped naked, bound, and have perhaps a sword, a bow and arrow, or a torch waved in front of his face.100 Prospective members would be completely at the mercy of the congregation and could only pass the initiation by placing their trust in those around them. Particularly in a military community, membership in a Mithraic congregation provided another social bond among soldiers who already spent much time eating, sleeping, training, and fighting beside one another. It is not difficult to see how a group of soldiers who attended a local Mithraeum might band together to pay for its refurbishment while their enthusiasm to support other religious buildings waned. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbb8tkt1g0v92swfab6cwq2) ### id283953954 initiation rites dependent on temples encourage temple maintenance > The initiation ceremony symbolized the descent and return of the initiate’s soul through the cosmos, a journey that included passing through the various celestial gates marked out by the iconography of the Mithraeum. While other cults could continue to conduct at least some of their rituals without temples, this was not possible for the cult of Mithras, for the space created by the Mithraeum and the rituals conducted in this space were deeply intertwined. For the cult to continue, Mithraea had to be maintained, and that is what we see in the archaeological evidence. Indeed, it is striking that in some locations, such as Poetovio and Aquincum, when the civilian towns had been largely abandoned toward the end of the fourth century, Mithraea in these locations were still being used, an indication that people were making a journey to these particular spaces, perhaps across a considerable distance. The form of the rituals conducted in these Mithraea had changed by this time, with considerable numbers of coins now deposited in them as offerings, but these spaces clearly retained a special importance for people that other neighboring structures, religious or secular, did not. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbb9xqmrj4dmp4jqq8nw5zt) ### id283954025 Roman infrastructure investment declined in the third century > Second, among rank-and-file soldiers, it was increasingly harder to pay for the construction or repair of buildings when the value of a soldier’s pay was significantly reduced and the smaller size of garrisons made group efforts to fund building projects more difficult. Although commanding officers probably still had the means to invest in such projects, they chose not to do so, possibly because of the general decline in public munificence during the third century. Third, the central rituals of the army (sacrifices, oaths, and festivals) never required a temple, thus such structures were not intrinsic to the religious behavior expected of members of the military community. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbbbtf82ys8vq7p1mxyapvd) ### id283954026 the Mithras cult required a temple to function > This can be explained in part by the small size of these temples, which made them less costly than larger temples. In the case of the Mithras cult, its organization, which fostered a significant level of commitment among its members, generated continuing support for the construction and repair of Mithraea. Because the specific building design of Mithraea was integral to Mithraic rituals, maintenance of these temples was imperative for the cult. In this respect, the Mithras cult differed from other religious groups, even other initiatory cults, which had significant public dimensions to their worship and could conduct at least some of their rituals out in the open. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fvbbccrgqbxwx3v6b6v21ht6)