Religions and Religiosity in Italy

Abstract There were many Italic religions in pre-Roman Italy, but little information about them survives. Literary sources are minimal, and they reflect the view of the Romans, so the most reliable sources of information are epigraphy and archeology. Rather than attempting a systematic presentation, this chapter focuses on two sources: the longest Italic inscription relating to religion, the Umbrian Iguvine Tables, is described in the first section, followed by the Oscan cult sites. In short, the long-dominant idea of the extinction of Italic religions at the end of the republic proves to be invalid; their continued practice, however attenuated, is indicated by archaeological evidence.