Person:
Espinosa Espinosa, David

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First Name
David
Last Name
Espinosa Espinosa
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/86380
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Geografía e Historia
Department
Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología
Area
Historia Antigua
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2017 - 201912020 - 20211
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Author: González García, A. César × Has files: false ×

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    a. d. viiii Kalendas Octobres, dies natalis Augusti. Some Considerations on the Astronomical Orientation of Roman Cologne and the Imperial Cult
    (Numen. International Review for the History of Religions, 2017) Espinosa Espinosa, David; González García, A. César
    A key factor in planning and orienting towns in the Roman world, and in particular in Augustan towns, was cosmology. The application of cosmological criteria in these towns, associated with specific political and religious principles of the principate of Augustus, has been already identified in Italia, Gallia, and Hispania. In this article we examine the orientation of the Roman town of Ara Ubiorum (present day Cologne) that could be related with the dies natalis Augusti. Based on these results, such a relation could have been deliberately sought by Roman and Ubian authorities to connect the newly founded town, where there was an ara of the Imperial cult probably consecrated to Rome and Augustus, with Augustus, who was identified with Apollo-Sol.
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    Pro consensu et concordia civium: Sensoriality, Imperial Cult, and Social Control in Augustan Urban Orientations
    (SENSORIVM. The Senses in Roman Polytheism, 2021) González García, A. César; García Quintela, Marco V.; Espinosa Espinosa, David
    One of the most stunning visions that people in the Roman Empire looked at would have been the alignment of the sun with certain public structures of Roman towns in relevant moments of the religious calendar. Some of these moments would have been related to astronomical events such as solstices and equinoxes, which were connected with political and religious principles during the reign of Augustus. In this regard, the application of cosmological criteria in the orientation and planning of Roman towns has been identified in some case studies, such as Augusta Praetoria Salassorum in Italia, Carthago Nova in Hispania, Lugdunum in Gallia Lugdunensis, Augusta Treverorum in Gallia Belgica, and Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (previous Ara Ubiorum) in Germania Inferior. In all of them, the apparent movement of the sun across the sky along the year would have been chosen to mark (during the dawn or sunset) important public festivals linked to the human and agricultural cycles, as well as with several deities from the Roman pantheon. The intention behind this practice would have included commemorating specific public events that were deeply significant for the population, but also favoring prosperity and maintaining the political and religious cohesion of the communities. In order to achieve this purpose, the sensory perception and emotional experience would have played a decisive role. The fact, for example, that every 23rd of September and 21st of December (as is the case of Ara Ubiorum, Carthago Nova and Augusta Praetoria Salassorum) the first rays of sun aligned with the urban layout would have caused an extraordinary impact and theatrical effect in the consciousness of the people. Both dates and the psychological implications aroused, associated with the dies natalis Augusti and Capricorn (sign that chaired in Lugdunum the concilium of Tres Galliae every 1st August), would have been instrumentalized by Augustus for strengthening his position at the head of the Empire, as well as promoting the conservation of the new political order.