OSPITATI E OSPITANTI: INTERAZIONE E CONVIVENZA TRA CULTI ISIACI E DIVINITÀ “TRADIZIONALI” NEI SANTUARI GRECO-ROMANI. I CASI DI CIRENE E CRETA

Abstract

In the articulated analysis of the Greco-Roman polytheism, cohabitation and interchange between different
deities within the same cult place are of particular interest. If this phenomenon is well-known among the
“traditional” deities of the Greco-Roman pantheon, there is a field where these forms of coexistence and
dialogue are precipue and systemic in many ways: that of the Isiac cults. Visibility plays a crucial role, and
the location of an Isiac cult place, inside or near the ancient sanctuaries, turns out to be almost always as the
result of a planned and successful choice. This cohabitation favored a resonance in the local and regional
context, not necessarily to be understood in a competitive way compared with the previous deities, but rather
complementary to the articulated religious system which characterized a sacred area. Starting from the
archeological data, this study focalizes the phenomenon in the contexts of Cyrene and Crete.