Editing Falisci (section)

=== Religion ===
Several Faliscan deities are attested in Faliscan writings. The "[[Ceres (mythology)|Ceres]] inscription," a Faliscan text dated to the 7th or 6th centuries BCE mentioning the name of the goddess Ceres,{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=34}} reads "''ceres ⁝ farme[    ]tom ⁝ louf[    ]rui[    ]m: [     ]kad''." The name "''ceres''" is closely connected to the word "''far''," meaning [[grain]]; Ceres, an agricultural goddess, is closely connected to grain in [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]]. It is also possible that the inscription mentions the name ''loụfir'', potentially referring to the god [[Liber]]—a Roman [[viticulture]] deity—in connection to the Faliscan word ''uinom'', meaning wine.{{Sfn|Joseph|Klein|1981|p=293}} However, this interpretation of the text is rejected as "epigraphically impossible" by the Faliscan scholar Gabriël Bakkum.{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=209}}

According to the 1st-century BCE Roman writer [[Ovid]], Faliscan culture heavily emphasized the worship of the goddess [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]]: Ovid refers to the Faliscans as "''Iunonicolae''" in his poem ''[[Fasti (poem)|Fasti]]''.<ref>[[Ovid]]. ''[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0547%3Abook%3D1 Fasti]''. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0547%3Abook%3D6 6.49].</ref> Ovid described a Faliscan temple of Juno he visited, stating that it resembled [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] structures and reached placed in a clearing surrounded by dark woods reached via a steep road.{{Sfn|Harari|2010|p=84}} Another sanctuary at Falerii likely dedicated to Juno contains votive offerings such as axes, spear heads, and a bronze statuette depicting a warrior.{{Sfn|Harari|2010|p=86}} Dionysius believed that the Faliscan civilization originated from [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]], citing the supposed similarities between the temple of Juno in Falerii and the temple of [[Hera]] at Argos.<ref>[[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]]. ''[[iarchive:romanantiquities01dionuoft|Roman antiquities]]''. [[iarchive:romanantiquities01dionuoft/page/66|1.21.2]].</ref> Dionysius and Ovid both state that the cult of Juno at Falerii continued into their lifetime.<ref>[[Ovid]]. ''[https://sacred-texts.com/cla/ovid/lboo/ Ars Amatoria]''. [https://sacred-texts.com/cla/ovid/lboo/lboo55.htm 3.13].</ref> Archaeological evidence corroborates this narrative; ancient Roman inscriptions suggest that the cult of [[Quiritis|Juno Curritis]] was active during the reign of [[Trajan|Emperor Trajan]] ({{Reign|98|117}}).<ref>{{CIL|11|3100}}</ref><ref>{{CIL|11|3125}}</ref> However, the religious practices of the cult under Roman occupation may not accurately reflect the traditional Faliscan practices.{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=32}}[[File:Faliscan inscription on a bronze plate from Santa Maria di Falleri.svg|thumb|311x311px|Latin inscription in the Faliscan alphabet mentioning the name ''Menerua'', meaning [[Minerva]].]]Various Roman authors mention another popular Faliscan cult called the ''[[Hirpi Sorani]]'' who were said to have conducted ceremonies at Monte Sorratte. This ritual is entirely unmentioned in the epigraphical record, save for one inscription possibly containing the word ''sorex'' ("priest") that is potentially connected to this practice.{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=33}} Roman authors largely connect the ''Hirpi Sorani'' to the god [[Apollo]], an account that is supported by Faliscan inscriptions mentioning cult sites of Apollo.{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=33}} The Faliscans may have worshipped a deity unique to their culture called ''Titus Mercus'', a god possibly related to Oscan [[Mercus]] or the Roman [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]. [[Jupiter (god)|Jupiter]] is possibly attested in a broken Middle Faliscan inscription reading "''[...]s pater''." The inscription can be restored as something resembling "dies pater," an archaic name for Jupiter.{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=203}} Further evidence for Jupiter worship in Faliscan culture comes a statue possibly depicting Jupiter found in a temple in [[Civita Castellana]].{{Sfn|Harari|2010|p=93}} [[Minerva]] is attested for in the same Middle Faliscan text, which contains the word "''menerua''."{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=204}} Ovid proposes that the goddess Minerva earned the [[epithet]] ''Capta'' due to an ''[[evocatio]]'' from the Faliscans.<ref>[[Ovid]]. ''[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0547%3Abook%3D1 Fasti]''. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0547%3Abook%3D3 3.843-844].</ref> Italian archaeologist [[Mario Torelli]] argued that the Roman cult of Minerva Capta predated the conquest of the Faliscans and that the ''evocatio'' merely referred to the capture of the Faliscan statue of Minerva.{{Sfn|Harari|2010|p=84}} Similarly, the Roman writers [[Macrobius]] and Servius both claim that the cult of [[Janus Quadrifrons|Janus Quadrifons]] was brought to Rome after the conquest of the ''ager Faliscus''.<ref>[[Servius the Grammarian|Maurus Servius Honoratus]]. ''[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0053%3Abook%3D1%3Acommline%3Dpr In Vergilii Aeneidem commentarii].'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0053%3Abook%3D7%3Acommline%3D607 A.7.607].</ref><ref>[[Macrobius]]. ''[https://www.loebclassics.com/view/LCL510/2011/volume.xml Saturnalia]''. [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/macrobius-saturnalia/2011/pb_LCL510.97.xml 1.9.13].</ref>{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=34}} 

Faliscan legends and tales are almost exclusively attested on through artwork depicting mythological scenes, often events from [[Etruscan religion|Etruscan mythology]]. However, one Middle Faliscan inscription mentions the name ''canumede'', implying that the Faliscans shared the story of [[Ganymede (mythology)|Ganymede]] with other cultures.{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=35}} Ganymede is possibly depicted in a headless statue of a naked young boy holding an ''[[oenochoe]]'' found in a Faliscan temple. If this statue does portray Ganymede, then it possibly indicates that the deity was involved in ceremonial [[Rite of passage|rites of passage]] for young men in the city.{{Sfn|Harari|2010|p=94}} Few Faliscan religious positions are described in the sources; one inscription mentions a ''[[haruspex]]'', another mentions a ''rex'' possibly connected to the Rex sacrorum, and Servius claims the ''[[Fetial|fetiales]]'' priesthood originated from the Faliscans.<ref name=":0" /> Two Faliscan festivals, the ''Struppearia'' and ''decimatrus'' are described by the 2nd-century Roman grammarian [[Sextus Pompeius Festus|Festus]].{{Sfn|Bakkum|2009|p=34}} According to Dionysius, holy women had an important religious function at the temple of Juno in Falerii; he writes that an unmarried girl, called the "''canephorus''" or the "basket-bearer," performed the initial sacrificial rites and that an [[Ensemble (musical theatre)|ensemble]] of virgins sung songs in praise of the goddess.<ref name=":2" />