1 of 7

Votive Body Parts

Roman Technology

2 of 7

What is a “VOTIVE”?

In the ancient Roman world, people worshipped many different gods.��This practice is called POLY^^.��They believed in the concept of RECIPRO^^,��or if you did something nice for the god/dess, s/he would do something nice for YOU.��Leaving little g^^ for the gods at their temples was common.��These gifts were called VOT^^

3 of 7

How did they work?

If you wanted help from a god with a certain illness, you might offer a body part related to that illness - if your EYE was hurting, you would offer the healing god an votive E^^ like this one.

4 of 7

Or maybe they worked in the opposite direction...

If you had previously had trouble getting pregnant, you might offer the god who helped you do so a votive u^^.��Some uteri were found with a small marble-sized ball inside them.��What do you think this marble symbolized?

5 of 7

How do we know about votives?

Votives are found all over the ancient Mediterranean world, not just Rome. ��They were made from��1. Metal��2. Wood��3. Cl^^

6 of 7

How do we know about votives?

Let’s read this article about a BUNCH of votives found in Italy: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-did-ancient-italians-bury-thousands-of-clay-body-parts ��Write two things you learned about votives:��1.���2.

7 of 7

Can you make your own?

Let’s pretend you want to��1. Thank a god for his/her help with a healthy body part.��OR��2. Ask a god for his/her help with a weak body part.��What would you sculpt out of clay?��Ready to try?