Beyond Culture-Historical Models

Reframing Religious Change in Second–Third Century AD North Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID11452249
AuthorsBruno D'Andrea (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid), Valentino Gasparini (0000-0002-3345-0062, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid), Matthew M McCarty (0000-0002-0297-3362, University of British Columbia, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-25
Publication date2026-03-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLibyan Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0263-7189 • E-ISSN: 2052-6148
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/lis.2026.10038
OpenAlexW7140315824
LanguageEN
References cited39

This paper examines the dynamics of religious transformation in North Africa during the second and third centuries AD, challenging traditional narratives rooted in culture-historical models and simplistic cultural labels, such as the purported ‘Africanisation’ of cults under the Severan dynasty. While past scholarship has often framed these changes in terms of cultural permanence, resistance, or renaissance, this study shows that they are instead deeply embedded within the broader social and economic practices of the Roman Empire and, at the same time, reflect local and micro-regional dynamics. The paper adopts a multifold approach to reinterpretation: the onomastic attributes of gods and devotees; the iconography and materiality of divine representations; the architectural forms of temples and their functions. By reanalysing key material corpora, this contribution highlights how cultic patterns were shaped by factors such as economic networks, the proliferation of stone-made monuments, and the involvement of an expanding ‘middle-class’ base of worshippers. A specific focus is placed on the cult of Saturn, often viewed as emblematic of African religious identity or continuity. This study argues instead that the second–third century boom in Saturn worship reflects broader imperial trends, including the rise in monumentalisation and shifting patterns of religious patronage. By dismantling previous assumptions and employing relational and materiality-focused methodologies, the paper offers a revised framework for understanding the interplay between local traditions and imperial dynamics in shaping religious practices in Roman Africa

Boom · Cognitive reframing · Cult · Empire · History of religions · Materiality (auditing · Narrative · Religious identity · Scholarship · Worship · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classical Antiquity Studies

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