In the Street of Abundance at Pompeii by Matania

A special reconstruction series of ancient Pompeii by Fortunino Matania for The Sphere. Here, in the Via Dell Abbondanza, a wealthy street in the city, is a sacrificial shrine, where anyone, accompanied by a priest and an aruspice (the man who knew how to read the prediction in the burning flesh), could offer up a sacrifice to the twelve divinities. In Matania's reconstruction, we see the worshipper pouring wine onto the hind legs of a lamb so as to send a pleasant perfume to the gods, whilst the priest recites the necessary incantations. These shrine is painted with figures of the twelve divinities, under which there is a frieze of gladiators and the lower part of the wall is decorated with the familiar snake device, indicating the near existence of a chemist's shop

Abbondanza Abundance Divinities Lambs Mar16 Matania Pompeii Sacrifice Sacrificial Shrine Worshipper

Features In These Collections

> Contributors > ILN