Il bassorilievo di Bormio e il culto a Volcanus nelle Alpi Retiche
In: Archeologia Classica: 48, 1997
Permalink: http://digital.casalini.it/2997979
A fifth to fourth-century B.C. bas-relief from Bormio, of Etruscan matrix and comparable to the art of situlae, is probably an ex voto, a gift or a decorative object from a cult area. Since elements of the worship of Volcanus - practised in Rome at the beginning of the sixth century and known through literary (Varro, Livy, Festus) and archaeological sources (Lapis Niger) - can be recognized, the figure on the right can, therefore, be identified as Volcanus. The connections among Volcanus, Velchans and Sethlans are delineated within the Etruscan pantheon. The presence in Bormio of a cult of Etruscan origin provides further evidence of the presence of Etruscans, or people under Etruscan cultural influence, in the Po valley and in the Alpine valleys (such as the situla of Caslir and sacra Raetica of Arusnates). This would substantially confirm the story of the origins of the Raeti given by the literary sources.