L’ISCRIZIONE DI SALSOVIA E LA CONCEZIONE MILITARE DELLA PRATICA RELIGIOSA

This article examines the inscription from Salsovia concerning the dedication of a statue of the god Sol under the emperor Licinius. The inscription records an imperial iussio ordering the annual performance of prayers and ritual acts by the soldiers stationed at the fortress. Particular attention is given to the formal and procedural language of the text, especially the terms describere, debere, and exorare. Rather than focusing primarily on the theological significance of Sol, the study investigates the relationship between imperial authority, military organization, and religious practice. The analysis also reassesses the traditional dating of the inscription and questions its interpretation as an explicitly anti-Constantinian initiative. Comparison with other tetrarchic inscriptions, especially those from Dionysopolis, places Salsovia within a broader pattern of direct imperial intervention in religious affairs. The inscription further reveals the importance of Sol as a divine protector of the emperor and the army during the late third and early fourth centuries. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of soldiers as mediators between the emperor and the divine sphere. The evidence from Salsovia is also compared with contemporary accounts of prayers imposed or taught to soldiers by Licinius and Constantine. The article argues that these practices reflect an increasingly military conception of religion, in which ritual observance was integrated into the hierarchy and discipline of the Roman army.