The international conferences of “L’Africa romana”, organized by the University of Sassari since 1983, are the most important events of the last forty years, regarding the history, archaeology and epigraphy of North Africa; they have given the opportunity to well-established and young scholars alike, from dozens of countries, to compare their experience and knowledge. The result is a new vision of the Roman provinces of Africa, due to the presentation of a considerable amount of unpublished material. The African provinces, although included in the Mediterranean koinè, have been regarded in their specific characteristics, paying due attention to the essential local religious strata, to the internal and external non-religious aspects of the cult and to the original merging of said elements in the religious life between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of the Great Sirte. Ever since the first conferences it was decided to overcome the ethnocentric view, remnant of the colonial past, and underline how in the African provinces local and imported divinities have come together. The present contribution proposes a first annotated bibliographic overview of the works that involved Universities, Research Centers, Agencies for the Development Heritage and Scientific Societies who carried out international research by comparing methods and going beyond a traditional view that was incapable of understanding the ancient world in depth.

A reflection on African religious life through the 21 Conferences of “L’Africa romana”(1983-2020) / Ruggeri, Paola. - In: REVISTA DE HISTORIOGRAFÍA. - ISSN 1885-2718. - 36, XVIII, 2.2021:(2021), pp. 397-413. [10.20318/revhisto.2021.6566]

A reflection on African religious life through the 21 Conferences of “L’Africa romana”(1983-2020)

Ruggeri, Paola
2021-01-01

Abstract

The international conferences of “L’Africa romana”, organized by the University of Sassari since 1983, are the most important events of the last forty years, regarding the history, archaeology and epigraphy of North Africa; they have given the opportunity to well-established and young scholars alike, from dozens of countries, to compare their experience and knowledge. The result is a new vision of the Roman provinces of Africa, due to the presentation of a considerable amount of unpublished material. The African provinces, although included in the Mediterranean koinè, have been regarded in their specific characteristics, paying due attention to the essential local religious strata, to the internal and external non-religious aspects of the cult and to the original merging of said elements in the religious life between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of the Great Sirte. Ever since the first conferences it was decided to overcome the ethnocentric view, remnant of the colonial past, and underline how in the African provinces local and imported divinities have come together. The present contribution proposes a first annotated bibliographic overview of the works that involved Universities, Research Centers, Agencies for the Development Heritage and Scientific Societies who carried out international research by comparing methods and going beyond a traditional view that was incapable of understanding the ancient world in depth.
2021
Les Colloques internationaux de “L’Africa romana”, organisés par l’Université de Sassari depuis le 1983, représentent pour les derniers quarante ans la nouveauté la plus important dans les domaines de l’histoire, de l’archéologie et de l’épigraphie de l’Afrique du Nord ; ils ont donné la possibilité aux savants expérimentés et aussi aux collègues plus jeunes de dizaines de pays de confronter leurs ex- périences et leurs connaissances. Le résultat a été une vision renouvelée des provinces africaines en époque romaine, même dans le domaine de la religion, grâce aussi à la publication de beaucoup de matériel inédit. Les provinces africaines, bien que intégrées dans la koiné méditerranéenne, ont été considérées dans leur spécificité, avec une at- tention aux substrats religieux locaux essentiels et aux agents cultuels, aux mélanges et aux résultats souvent originaux que tout cela a eu dans la vie religieuse entre l’Atlantique et la Grande Syrte. À partir des premières Conférences le but était de dépasser totalement l’idée d’une vision ethnocentrique, héritage d’un passé colonial, pour souligner comment dans les provinces africaines les dieux locaux ont souvent « parlé » et trouvé un « lien » avec les dieux importés des autres provinces de l’empire. Cette contribution représente une première bibliographie commentée des tra- vailles des Universités, des Centres de recherche, des Instituts de tutelle et de mise en valeur, des Sociétés scientifiques qui ont menés les recherches au niveau international, en comparant les méthodes et en dépassant une vision traditionnelle incapable de comprendre le monde antique en profondeur.
A reflection on African religious life through the 21 Conferences of “L’Africa romana”(1983-2020) / Ruggeri, Paola. - In: REVISTA DE HISTORIOGRAFÍA. - ISSN 1885-2718. - 36, XVIII, 2.2021:(2021), pp. 397-413. [10.20318/revhisto.2021.6566]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11388/253300
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