The place-making function of ritual movement in Roman religion

Project Information

RITMO

Grant agreement ID: 101024439

DOI

10.3030/101024439

Project closed

EC signature date 14 April 2021

Start date 1 October 2021

End date 30 September 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 249 597,12

EU contribution

€ 249 597,12

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RITMO (The place-making function of ritual movement in Roman religion)

Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The project “RITMO. The place-making function of ritual movement in Roman religion” focuses on ritual movement, that is movement of individuals or groups on a more or less fixed route for religious causes or purposes (e.g. processions). Though this kind of ritual action always played a major role in the religious life of the Roman, not enough attention was paid so far to its fundamental place-making role, that is on the investigation of the impact and consequences of the continued performance of ritual movement on the cultural, social and physical creation of religious places, thus of collective identity and memory, in ancient Rome.

Considering a time span from 8th cent. BCE to 5th cent. CE, the project aims at delving into some key case studies of ritual movement in Roman religion, as the Salian rituals, the transvectio equitum, the Argei, as well as four women festivals (Matralia, Nonae Caprotinae, Nemoralia and the procession of 207 BCE), in order to better understand how such rituals shaped (and were shaped by) emotions, identity and memory processes – during and after the ritual performance – by finally becoming embedded in Rome’s sacred landscape.

The project will then compare these case studies with more studied examples of ritual movements in Roman religion (e.g. the Lupercalia), and finally with a ritual movement still performed every year in Rome, the procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Close observation of a ritual movement still ‘in the making’ can further put RITMO’s results to the test.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Research consisted preliminarily of an updated historical and historico-religious interpretation, achieved by library research first, then by the study of both ancient sources, modern literature, and topographical and archaeological evidence. In addition, constant has been the systematic application of a inter/multidisciplinary approach.

Methodologically, by focusing on the historical development of the religious movements considered, thus in a long-term framework, I have taken great advantage of the “spatial turn” approach, which allowed me to better analyse how ritual movement could “affect” space to create a “new” religious place to be linked to that ritual and to become part of Rome’s sacred landscape.

Moreover, I also investigated how such rituals affected the participants through the emotions they elicited (profiting from the study of emotions in historical research), thus becoming part of both individual and collective, thus more in general of cultural memory (profiting from the study of cultural memory). Regarding the female sphere, this more general approach was also combined with studies on the role and agency of women in the religious (and not only) sphere of ancient Rome (also profiting from gender studies applied to Antiquity).

On the comparative side, the first and most important of the comparanda turned out to be the rite of the Lupercalia as one of the most important rites in the Roman festive calendar and the one celebrated for the longest time. As for the comparison with a rite still celebrated in our times, the procession of the Madonna del Carmine (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) in Rome, in which I participated, proved to be very fruitful in terms of inspiration and material for further reflection.

The project has taken place so far in Paris, at the Centre ANHIMA (two Secondments, supervisor Prof. Francesca Prescendi) and in Rio de Janeiro, at the Universidade Federal do Estado de Rio de Janeiro (Outgoing phase, supervisor Prof. Claudia Beltrão). This allowed me to further broaden the perspectives of my reflections and work. On the one hand, I was able to enrich the comparative dimension of my work by discussing with colleagues who are experts in similar ritual movements, both past and present. These discussions have led to the establishment of an international network that has not only raised the level of my research but has also resulted in the organisation of various initiatives that have often seen me as principal investigator and coordinator.

The return phase is at Sapienza University of Rome under the supervision of Prof. Alessandro Saggioro.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This investigation is shedding new light to the phenomenon of what I have renamed topopoiesis (= place-making) in both its properly spatial and temporal dimensions. The execution of ritual movement (punctual phase: the event and performance, the experience of it, the emotions aroused) repeated over time (long-term phase: oral accounts and reports, written texts of any kind, monuments) has as its fundamental junction the place in which it “happens”, to be understood in a cultural sense, thus distinct from space as a mere container.

In approaching ritual movement in general, one must consider the movement of one or more persons in a given space and time and the ‘traces’ that are echoed of this, or that still echo (in the case of rites that are still celebrated), in a continuous dialogue between past and present. The result of topopoiesis/place-making through ritual movement is or can thus be the creation of a place that is at once cultural, immaterial, and physical (e.g. the Salian mansiones, buildings associated with the Salian priests only).

This cultural process has been observed in all the case studies examined. So far, I have presented the results of my research at many conferences, seminars, summer/spring schools as well in written form in an edited book (Ritual Movement in Antiquity (and Beyond), Brescia: Morcelliana 2022) and in several articles, both already published or forthcoming.

Comparison, spatiality, and an inter/multidisciplinary approach will significantly enhance the understanding of such an important kind of ritual performance in ancient Rome. Moreover, as ritual movement is still practiced and is part of the cultural heritage of many countries, by delving into the significance of such phenomenon starting as from Antiquity, it will be easier to understand its semantics and meanings in contemporary society, and how it can still promote identity and belonging and foster social cohesion.

Project Cover