sabato 15 giugno 2019

Aquae Sulis - The Celtic heart of Roman Britain






In Southern England we can find a real historical and architectural jewel, set in the green English countryside: the town of Bath. We are in Somerset - a region that, as we have already seen speaking of Glastonbury, stands out for the number of sites of esoteric interest on its territory.

The name of Bath derives, of course, from "baths", in fact this place was an important thermal establishment during the Roman occupation. But it would be simplistic to classify it only as such, as it was also a place of worship for the Celts in the first place and for the Romans later.

The sacred waters, considered miraculous, originate from the subsoil: the millenary rains, poured over the centuries on the Mendip Hills, penetrated into the calcareous layers of the soil where, in depth, they reached a temperature of about 96 ° C. The water pressure, overheated, brought the underground watercourse back to the surface, giving rise to its famous source: a natural pool, emerald in color and with crimson grinding of iron, wrapped in the fumes of steam raised in the icy winter air ... There is no doubt as to why the people of that time considered this wonder to be the work of the Gods.

Studies show that the source has been in use for at least 10,000 years, but we have the first concrete evidence with the arrival of the Celts in Britain in 700 BC, who circumscribed the perimeter with wooden structures for ritual purposes.

They believed that this magical place, with its healing properties, was the work of the Goddess Sul - a Celtic goddess patron of medicine, healing and fertility. Coins were found on the bottom of the spring, proving the theory that the population used the body of water as a channel of communication with the divine, leaving offers in the hope of gaining her favour.

THE GODDESS SULIS-MINERVA

Sul or Sulis was a deity worshiped in the neighboring areas of this magical source. Unlike today's widespread neo-pagan concept of female lunar deity, she is a solar goddess.

The etymology of her name is not entirely clear, the most accepted theory is that the word comes from the Proto-Celtic sūli: one of the many suffixes for the word "sun", of Indo-European derivation (see ηέλιος "elios" in Greek, "sūryah" in Sanskrit, "suhlio" in Proto-Indo-European). From this root, the word "súil" (eye) in Irish Archaic and "licat" would also derive, meaning both "eye" and "source" in Archaic Welsh.


As mentioned above, she is mainly associated with healing and fertility but also with clairvoyance; like many other goddesses she has an ambivalent nature.

Sulis was often invoked to protect those who suffered wrong and to curse the perpretants, as a guarantor of justice.

In the museum of Roman baths we can admire 130 pewter tablets, on which there are inscriptions of curses and invocations to the goddess to get personal vendettas. Normally it was a question of profit for small thefts, often occurring inside the establishment: small sums of money, clothes or personal items. These tablets, moreover, have an inestimable historical value, being probably among the only written examples of the Celtic language.

The Romans, who arrived in Somerset in 43 AD during their British occupation campaign, immediately recognized the sacredness of the place. Despite their frenzied thirst for expanding the Empire, they used to respect local deities - often syncretizing them with their gods (Interpretatio romana).

Learning soon about the benevolent nature and the strong sense of justice of Sulis, it was not difficult to associate her with Minerva - the beloved goddess patron of reason, wisdom and heroic virtues, as well as protector of artisans. Her cult was widespread in the Empire, testimonies of her devotion were found in all the Roman provinces and was often assimilated to other deities such as the Celtic Brigantia or the kemetic Neith.

Sulis-Minerva, with her miraculous healing qualities, also became popular among Roman soldiers: many veterans of war, afflicted by old wounds and aches, relied on her care and her spring to receive the benefits. During the military campaign, artisans and merchants moved to expand their businesses in these new provinces, while some aoldiers decided to start a new life at Aquae Sulis - thus turning this natural temple into a thriving merchant centre.

The fervent economy and the growing popularity of the cult of the goddess, led to the decision to honour the sacred source by building one of the most important spas and places of worship in the British provinces.

THE TEMPLE AND THE BATHS

To transform a wonderful natural source into an equally astonishing architectural work, it took the expert Roman engineering. It was an ambitious project: the source was the realm of the severe goddess Sulis and also a fragile environment, being a geothermal location and therefore required a more complex hydraulics.

Wood and stone were transported along the banks of the Avon river, while clay tiles were imported from Wiltshire, experts rushed from the imperial provinces to watch the work; finished in 75 d.c. By the year 100 AD Bath was a lively commercial, recreational and religious centre - considered one of the "most sophisticated cities of Roman Britain".

The baths became so popular that pilgrims regularly visited the town to honour Sulis Minerva and take advantage of the thermal waters; the constant flow of wayfarers led to a fervent building expansion, further transforming the thermal complex.

The original woodland clearing, venerated by the Celts, was then enclosed in a barrel-faced structure, dimly lit by candlelight and surrounded by columns and statues - enriching the mystical atmosphere.

The Temple, built adjacent to the spring, was built in a classical style (unusual, in Roman Britain): inside was the statue of the goddess, illuminated by the sacred fire. The complex stood on a podium two meters high from the mosaic paved area; to surround the whole, there was a colonnaded ambulatory in Corinthian style.

With the spreading of Christianity in Europe, this imposing place of pray fell into disuse - until the eventual collapse of the building. Fortunately, in addition to traces of  the original structure, invaluable archaeological finds were found: silent witnesses of a distant, forgotten era.

THE GODDESS STATUE

The bronze head of Sulis Minerva is one of the most famous finds in Roman Britain: its discovery, in 1727, suggested that Bath was not an archaeological site like any other.


Probably it was part of the statue that resided inside the Temple, towering above the sacrificial altar.
Considering the size of the head, we can only imagine the authority that could inspire Sulis Minerva, illuminated only by the meandering flames of the sacred brazier. Small holes in the hair reveal that there was probably a Corinthian helmet fixed on the head, unfortunately lost in the mists of time.

THE GORGON’S HEAD

The temple had numerous unusual features for Roman architecture: among these, the elaborate pediment with a Gorgon's head in the center, supported by two winged creatures in a clipeus, was prominent. Supported by four, 15-meter tall columns, it must have been a very powerful vision for those approaching the temple.


The pediment boasts several symbols: in the corners there are tritons, half-fish creatures and half-men servants of the god Neptune. At the bottom left there is a dolphin-shaped helmet, while in the right corner we have an owl (symbol of Minerva).

Various controversies have arisen to determine the identity of the Gorgon: in fact, despite having wings over the ears and snakes entwined in the beard, the depicted face is masculine, while, according to tradition, the Gorgon was a female creature killed by the hero Perseus with the help of Athena (the Greek counterpart of Minerva). Once defeated, Perseus gave her head to the goddess, who exposed her on her breastplate - what better symbolism, for a temple dedicated to the Roman Minerva?

Another theory suggests that the Gorgon is instead a representation of the god Oceanus,
the titan master of the waters. The cult of the Ocean was widespread in Roman Britain: legionaries obviously had to cross the English Channel to land in the present-day United Kingdom, so it was in their interest to grace the god. Emperor Severus even minted coins with the head of Oceanus on one side, the head of Neptune on the other; while on the bridges there were sometimes sacrificial altars dedicated to these two deities - to pay a pledge, in exchange for their protection near bodies of water.

One of the symbols associated with the Titan was in fact the dolphins, found also on the pediment.

Another theory instead associates this mysterious figure with a solar Celtic divinity, Belenos: however unlikely it may seem that the Romans funded a similar work, the pediment author was a Gaul and could have created a tribute to his patron deity.

We will probably never know the truth behind this enigmatic figure, we can only limit ourselves to immerse in the sacred atmosphere of Aquae Sulis, marveling at this architectural masterpiece, reverberations of time and space that reached us over the centuries.


♃Ludna
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