Riesgo marítimo, astrología y devoción en Roma

Abstract

Summary: It is generally assumed that the religiosity of sailors in ancient Rome was nourished by an atavistic fear of the sea. This paper suggests that individual motivations varied. In the concrete case of vessel owners, shippers and traders, astrology and votive offerings were cultural dispositives to reduce risk perception and to stimulate merchant activity complementary to the fiscal stimuli to protect the costs of wreck in case of „force majeure“.