In this special episode—presented for the first time in Italian with (ala, literal and not always accurate) English subtitles—Dr Angela Puca is joined by Emanuele Viotti, founder of Ad Maiora Vertite, for a discussion on the religion of ancient Rome.

Emanuele Viotti is a respected educator and independent scholar in the field of Roman traditional religion. Since founding Ad Maiora Vertite in 2012, he has authored and curated numerous publications—often in collaboration with academics—on Roman religiosity. Viotti lectures on Roman religion at the Centro Nazionale di Studi Classici GrecoLatinoVivo, where his courses are recognised by Italy’s Ministry of Education. He has presented at academic conferences, contributes to the rediscovery of Italian heritage through historically themed guided tours, and was awarded the Rimini–Europa in the World international culture prize in 2023 for his work on Roman tradition and historical outreach.

Topics explored include:

– The distinction between orthopraxy and orthodoxy in Roman religiosity

– The numinous and the function of sacra privata vs. sacra publica

– Ritual precision, priesthoods, and everyday cultic practice

– The transmission of religious knowledge in domestic and civic spaces

– Local religious variation across the Roman world

– Misconceptions surrounding figures like Diana and “Lucifer”

– The challenges and potentials of reconstructing Roman religion today

This episode also critically examines how Roman religion functioned as a pragmatic, ritual-based system without imposed theological dogma, contrasting sharply with post-Nicene Christianity. Emanuele Viotti offers rare insights into original Latin sources, epigraphic evidence, and the ritual economy of the Roman world, while discussing how Roman traditionalism is interpreted and lived in contemporary contexts.

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Bibliography provided by Emanuele 📚

About Roman Religion:

- G. Dumezil, La religion romaine archaïque, avec un'appendice sur la religion des Étrusques. Parigi, Payot, 1964

- J. Sheid, Quand faire, c'est croire. Les rites sacrificiels des Romains, Editions Aubier, coll. «Historique», Parigi, 2005

- J. Rupke, Pantheon: A New History of Roman Religion, Princeton University Press, 2018

- D. Sabbatucci, La religione di Roma antica: dal calendario festivo all'ordine cosmico, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1988

- L. Ferro, M. Monteleone, Miti Romani: il racconto, Einaudi, 2010

- M. Bettini, Dèi e uomini nella città. Antropologia, religione e cultura nella Roma antica, Roma, Carocci, 2015

E. Viotti, La Via Romana agli Dèi: la storia, i miti, le fondamenta e i riti della religione romana oggi, Armenia, 2022

About Moon goddeses:

- Lucius Annaeus Cornutus, Theologiae Graecae compendium, 34

- N. Serafini, La dea Diana nell'Ars Amatoria: Ovidio e la tradizione greca, in EVPHROSYNE, 41, 2013, 131-146

- N. Serafini, Antichi dèi, oggi: la Ecate dei neo-pagani, Minerva 27 (2014), 203-225

- (JUST FOR RECONSTRUCTION, NOT VALID ANYMORE FOR THE ANALYSIS) J. Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion, 1915

⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️

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