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Passing through the Countryside: How to Recognize a Sacred Place?

Passing through the countryside a wayfarer – being a traveler, hunter, herdsman, soldier or anyone else – would recognize the place devoted to a divinity or sacred in some way. He would know where to stop, make an offering or pray to the divine being lingering in that place (numen inest, Ovid. Fasti, 3.296). In some places or groves the passerby would see altars or images of gods, enabling him to recognize the sacred spot, but some places were harder to notice because the simpler, rustic cult took place there. Ancient sources offer a whole range of different categories of recognition at the traveler’s disposal, if he was interested at all. Apuleius (Florida 1.1) told us of the wayfarers who cared about the gods (religiosi viantium) and who noticed subtle signs in the scenery, but they were scarce (pauci percontantes), while majority did not recognize the sites or simply did not care for them (ignorantes).

holy places, groves, altars, rustic statues, trees, hanging objects

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