Pour une étude de la religion en Sicile à l’époque républicaine : la Sicile vue de Rome dans les Verrines de Cicéron

Cultural and religious contact has been extensively studied over the last few decades, covering many different periods and contexts in classical Antiquity.However, very little attention has been paid to Roman Sicily during the Republic. Nevertheless, new research has shown that the island continued to thrive under Roman rule, with a variety of cultural influences coming together within the framework of Hellenistic “koine”. This work aims at reconstructing religious contact in this very particular context, using the evidence provided by Cicero’s speeches against Verres. Part one is a sketch of all the cults mentioned in the speeches; part two focuses on the way Roman presence made an impact on local practices and part three tries to determine how the Romans perceived Sicialian religion. Results will show the Republican Sicily was not the home of a declining Greek culture, but a lively harbour of cultural exchange.