Loading...
Cult and Identity: Reevaluating Interpretations of Pre-Roman Religious Practices of Western Iberia
Casas Neo, Mencía
Casas Neo, Mencía
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
The religious landscape of pre-Roman Western Iberia remains an open issue in scholarly debates. Historically, scholarship has tried to bridge the lack of abundant, significant evidence. This often involves the framing of indigenous tribal groups into overarching socio-symbolical labels that hinder the conception of tribal groups as individual and culturally specific. Adopting a case-study approach, this thesis examines the cults of deities such as Nabia, Bandua, and Cossus to trace patterns of spatial distribution and onomastic variation as indices of negotiated, localized identities, opposing readings that propose a unified, coherent pantheon. Through the application of contemporary approaches to ethnological and cultural interaction debates, and the direct engagement with primary evidence, this thesis reevaluates established conceptions of preRoman religion in the Western fringe of the Iberian Peninsula. The project ultimately shows how religious identity in Western Iberia functioned as flexible, activated under specific historical and social conditions. Furthermore, it calls from a shift away from homogenizing ethnic frameworks, toward models that acknowledge and nuance plurality and cultural interaction.
Description
Thesis (B.A. in Classical Studies and Art History)--John Cabot University, Fall 2025.
Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Iberian Peninsula, Antiquities, Religion
Citation
Casas Neo, Mencía. "Cult and Identity: Reevaluating Interpretations of Pre-Roman Religious Practices of Western Iberia". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.