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Ahnen- und Heroenkulte in Britannien und Gallien – Machtlegitimation oder Bewältigung innerer Krisen

This paper re-evaluates the role of ancestor and hero cults in Gaul and Britain during the Iron Age and Roman period in cases where the boundaries between funerary cult and deitiy worship became so blurred that isolated burials could become focus points for an entire city or civitas. As a result, burials of exceptional individuals could become monumentalised, receiving sacrifices and offerings that reflect a collective cult, in many cases leading to the construction of cult buildings. Case studies include Iron Age Southern Gaul (Pech Maho, Cayla and Glanum) and developments during the Roman conquest of Britain (Ashford, Colchester, Verulamium).