ABSTRACT
Religion played a central part in Pompeian life right from the sixth century BC, when activity focused upon two sanctuaries, those of Apollo next to the Forum (E1-2) and of (probably) Hercules and Minerva at the ‘Doric Temple’ in the Triangular Forum. By the end of the second century BC, more public temples had been added to the town, honouring Jupiter (E9-11), Isis (E3-6) and Dionysus (for the suburban Sanctuary of Dionysus, see A15-17; for religion in the Oscan town, see also A12-13). Religious experiences at Pompeii, therefore, drew upon a variety of foreign influences, from Greece and Egypt, at a relatively early date. Some temples in the town and its environs are of disputed identity (such as the so-called ‘Temple of Jupiter Meilichios’ in the Theatre district, which may have been dedicated to Asclepius), while others, dedicated to Ceres and perhaps Neptune (E14), have yet to be discovered. It also seems plausible that the large temple adjacent to the Basilica was dedicated to Pompeian Venus, but no hard evidence supports this hypothesis.
