TyB
Fresco depicting a lararium (domestic shrine) with a niche and an altar
Fresco depicting a lararium (domestic shrine) with a niche and an altar
Roman, Terzigno, Villa 6, kitchen, mid-1st century BC
Fresco and terracotta
Parco Archeologico di Pompel SAP 86755
THE HOUSEHOLD SHRINE
The atrium often featured a shrine (lararium), which was named after the protective household gods, the Lares. It contained images of the Lares and other gods such as Bacchus, Venus, and Hercules and foreign deities such as the Egyptian Serapis.
The master, as spiritual head of the family (pater familias), led its members in sacrifices at the shrine. He lit lamps and, on a small marble or terracotta altar, burned incense and offered food and drink that included milk, wine, fruit, eggs, pinecones, and, for special occasions, a blood sacrifice of a cock or even a piglet.
Fresco depicting a lararium (domestic shrine) with a niche and an altar
Fresco depicting a lararium (domestic shrine) with a niche and an altar
Roman, Terzigno, Villa 6, kitchen, mid-1st century BC
Fresco and terracotta
Parco Archeologico di Pompel SAP 86755
THE HOUSEHOLD SHRINE
The atrium often featured a shrine (lararium), which was named after the protective household gods, the Lares. It contained images of the Lares and other gods such as Bacchus, Venus, and Hercules and foreign deities such as the Egyptian Serapis.
The master, as spiritual head of the family (pater familias), led its members in sacrifices at the shrine. He lit lamps and, on a small marble or terracotta altar, burned incense and offered food and drink that included milk, wine, fruit, eggs, pinecones, and, for special occasions, a blood sacrifice of a cock or even a piglet.