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Res est romana. Oggetti di ‘potere’ e ‘reliquie’ di memoria a Roma

  • Ginevra Benedetti
  • Francesca Prescendi

This article examines a range of objects described in Roman antiquarian sources that functioned as carriers of memory and guarantors of identity. Some, like the pignora imperii, were regarded as divine pledges securing Rome’s imperium; others, such as Romulus’ lituus or the sow of Lavinium, served as material witnesses to foundational events. Although materially lost today, these objects acted as signs of continuity, shaping Roman collective memory and political power. Embedded in the urban fabric, they contributed to a sacred topography that anchored political authority in a mythical past.

  • Keywords:
  • roman religion,
  • pignora imperii,
  • relics,
  • collective memory,
  • sacred topography,
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Ginevra Benedetti

University of Siena, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-3682-7427

Francesca Prescendi

EPHE, École Pratique des Hautes Études, France - ORCID: 0000-0002-1766-0545

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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Res est romana. Oggetti di ‘potere’ e ‘reliquie’ di memoria a Roma

Authors

Ginevra Benedetti, Francesca Prescendi

Language

Italian

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0767-6.04

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2025

Copyright Information

© 2025 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Piccole ‘curiosità’ delle religioni antiche. Un approccio antropologico

Book Subtitle

Atti delle giornate di studio - Siena, 4 e 5 aprile 2024

Editors

Ginevra Benedetti, Francesca Prescendi

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

124

Publication Year

2025

Copyright Information

© 2025 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY-SA 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press, USiena Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0767-6

ISBN Print

979-12-215-0766-9

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0767-6

eISBN (epub)

979-12-215-0768-3

Series Title

Studi di Antichistica

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