Posebnosti autohtonih kultova u rimskoj Istri
Specifics of the autochtonous Cults in Roman Istria

Summary/Abstract: Over the course of the last century, interest in cults in the territory of Istria and the Kvarner islands during classical antiquity (the Roman era) has grown steadily. Previous research has shown the deep roots of spiritual culture in the life of the Romanized Histrian, Histro-Venetian and Liburnian populations, which systematically influenced many segments of their social, political and economic life. Throughout history, cults have existed as a part of religious rites in all societies. They have been a component of the organization of human life and they have expressed beliefs, ways to serve and revere deities, forms of behaviour and grounds upon which institutions, customs and values were built. It is very difficult to comprehend the activities of human beings without a deeper understanding of their cults in various historical periods. Archaeology, onomastics, and toponomastics, as well as the interpretation of cults through the evolution of autochthonous Greek and Roman mythologies and their profusion by syncretism, provide us with valuable comparative knowledge on the existence of Roman-era belief systems in Istria. I attempted to throw some light only on some of the more important questions tied to the problem of cults in Istria during classical antiquity, although some of the brief commentaries on individual cults or cult communities and cult centres indicate important links and considerations of religious and spiritual influences on the life of Roman Istria’s residents on the border between East and West, within the sphere of the emergence and development of Christianity and the gradual decay of the Roman Empire.

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