| Recommended Resources |
M. Clauss, Kaiser und Gott. Herrscherkult im römischen Reich (2001); S. Mitchell, The Imperial Temple at Ankara and the Res Gestae of the Emperor Augustus – Ankara’daki Roma İmparatorluğu Tapınağı ve İmparator Augustus’un Başarılarının Yazıtı (2008); S. R. F. Price, Rituel ve İktidar (2004); 2013; 1546. T. Pekàry, Das Römische Kaiserbilnis ın Staat, Kult und Gesellschaft (1985); R. Turcan, The Cults of the Roman Empire (1997); 1978. H. Thür (Ed.), “… und verschönerte die Stadt …” Ein ephesischer Priester des Kaiserkultes in seinem Umfeld (1997); 2125. W. Wohlmayr, Kaisersaal. Kultanlagen der Augustalen und munizipiale Einrichtungen für das Herrscherhaus in Italien (2004). |
| Aims of the Course |
The aim of this course is to enable students to comprehend the relationship between religion and power in the Roman Empire by examining the emergence, historical development, and religious, political, and social functions of the imperial cult in light of archaeological, epigraphic, and numismatic data. In this context, the course aims to evaluate the relationship between the imperial cult and Hellenistic ruler cults, its place within Roman state ideology, the apotheosis of emperors and members of the imperial family, cult practices, priesthood institutions, temples, and sacred areas. Furthermore, it aims to examine the organization of the imperial cult, particularly in the Anatolian provinces, the provincial leagues (koina), the emergence and development of the title of neokoros, the competition among cities to obtain this title, and the relationship between the neokorate and urban identity, prestige, and political privileges. Within the scope of the course, it is intended that students be able to evaluate architectural remains, sculptures, inscriptions, and coins related to the imperial cult within their historical contexts, interpret the reflections of Roman imperial ideology in Anatolian cities, and analyze the political, religious, and cultural relationships between the imperial cult and the cities using scientific methods. |