Dieux de Rome et du monde romain en réseaux

This volume proposes a renewed approach to the gods of Rome and the Roman world, focusing on the networks in which they are embedded. In the wake of studies on Greek polytheism and the analyses of G. Dumézil, the gods are considered from an anthropological perspective which aims to shed light on their fields and modes of action, as well as the different facets of their identity and functions. Since the gods form a “divine society”, the aim is to show that such an approach benefits from using the heuristic tool of the “network”, by focusing the analysis of the gods of Rome and the Roman world on the systems of relations that unite them and make them interact.

The investigation of divine networks is presented on the basis of various case studies. Particular attention has been paid to the dynamic and contextualised nature of the divine interactions, which can vary in time and space. The exploratory nature of the investigations and of the approach underlying them is highlighted in the first three contributions which, beyond the case studies analysed, propose ways of thinking about the Roman gods and their networks. The next four articles focus on the study of divine networks in a given context. The last four contributions are more focused on the study of a deity, whose plural identity, modes and fields of action are explored, the question of divine networks allowing to significantly enrich the reflection on the gods considered.