A Companion Roman Religion - Spiritual Minds

indeed three gods inside every gate, who correspond symmetrically to the Grabovius

gods. These three gods belong to the circle of Jupiter. It is explicitly the case with

two of them (Trebus Jovius and Tefer Jovius), and it is implicitly the case with the

third (Fisus Sancius, perhaps to be related to Semo Sancus Dius Fidius, god of the

oath). However, the ceremony described on the Iguvine Tables I and VI does not

stop after the sacrifices at the gates: it continues in two sacred groves: at the grove

of Jupiter, one sacrifices two ewes and three calves to Mars Hodius; in the “core-

tian” grove three calves to Hondus Cerfius. Then only, the formula concludes “the

city will be purified” (ukar pihaz fust). But if there is a ritual flaw, it is necessary to

start all over again from the beginning, that is, from the consulting of auspiciaand

the sacrifice at the Trebulan gate. This statement points out that the entire ritual

series (persklo) is seen as a whole and the final sacrifices in the grove must not be

separated out.

Limited comparisons are likely to be found not only between Gubbio and

Rome, but also between the bronze tablets and the great Roman ritual protocols.

There are also other Italic religious inscriptions of public relevance: the “bronze of

Rapino,” datable toward 250 bc, carries a “law for the Marrucine community” (totai

maroucai lixs) (Rix 2002: 77). After a preliminary invocation (aisos pacris: “gods,

be favorable!”), it seems to be a question of how to divide sacrificial meat (asignas;

an interpretation to be preferred to the one which supposes that it regulates sacred

prostitution: Zavaroni 2004). The ceremony relates to “Jupiter Father of the Jovian

citadel Tarincris” (ioues patres ocres tarincris iouias agine). The “citadel” in question

is generally identified with the fortified site on the height of Civita Danzica. Grotta

del Colle, where the bronze of Rapino comes from, opened on a neighboring slope.

It is one of the increasing number of places of cult in pre-Roman Italy on which

there is now an archaeological publication (Guidobaldi 2002).

The Names of Gods

The very form of the theonyms on the Tables of Gubbio itself cannot fail to sur-

prise (Prosdoscimi 1989: 484 –7). They are not composed of only one term, but of

two, three, even four:

• substantive +epithet: “Hondus Jovius,” “Torsa Jovia,” “Pomonus Popdicus”;


• substantive +possessive phrase +epithet: “Vesona of Pomonus Popdicus”;


• substantive +epithet +possessive phrase +epithet: “Prestota Cerfia of Cerfus
  Martius,” “Torsa Cerfia of Cerfus Martius.”

As I mentioned before, Prestota is “the one-who-protects” and Torsa “the one-who-

terrifies.” These purely functional divinities have their equivalents in Rome. They

were invoked in the prayers according to the Roman rite, as recorded in the sacer-

dotal books (quoted by Gellius 13.23.2): “Luaof Saturn, Salaciaof Neptune, Hora

of Quirinus, Viritesof Quirinus, Maiaof Vulcan, Heriesof Juno, Molesof Mars,

Nerioof Mars” (i.e. “the efforts of Mars,” “the boldness of Mars”). An action power

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