Vanesa Arias Bujia, BA Classical Civilisation

The Worship of Water: How did Roman influence affect ritualisation in the existing communities of Gallaecia

In an area of North-Western Spain and Portugal, touched by Roman influence and occupation, water is still to this day, central to people's everyday lives here. Was this
due to Roman ideas spreading throughout the empire, or was there an existing worship of water in this location prior to their arrival? Interestingly, Roman Mythology seems to have adopted a number of deities from this area into its pantheon, as it too
gained from other parts of the empire. Within my research contribution, I hope to
detail a community's fascination with water, by observing the distribution of water
deities, the growing influence of water cults, and analysing how and where people
interacted with them. I will look at evidence using archaeology and landscape analysis,
in an attempt to distinguish why so many place names in this area seem to be related
to ancient myths and ritual. I hope to uncover the mystery that surrounds an area
steeped in myth and tradition, and prove that the Romans not only spread influence,
but also adopted traditions and ideas that they discovered during their expansion.