Cupra (goddess)

Etymology

The name Cupra has been connected to the Ancient Greek word Κύπρις ("") and the Sabine term ciprum.

Mythology

Worship of Cupra is well-attested throughout Picenum and the broader Apennine region. Her worship is primarily concentrated at locations associated with trade and communication, the same routes through which her cult likely spread. One Umbrian language inscription mentioning Cupra was uncovered in Colfiorito, where the sanctuary of the goddess was probably situated by a lake near the modern church of S. Maria di Pistia. Though the lake has since dried, it is evidenced by geological features of the landscape, and it is also probably to be identified with the lacus Plestinus mentioned in Roman sources. According to the archaeologist Eleanor Betts, it is likely that the cult of Cupra was brought into Colfiorito by Picene merchants and traders, whose activity at the site is further attested by the concurrent increases in the wealth of settlement, which likely occurred as a result of increased economic activity and trade with the Piceni. Betts further suggests that, besides overseeing commerce and communication, Cupra was perhaps connected in some manner to sacred water, as—according to Betts—the spring near her temple would likely have served as an important supply of water for the local community. Another Umbrian language inscription mentioning Cupra, which is generally dated to the 2nd-century BCE, was uncovered at the site of Fossato di Vico. The inscription dedicated a cistern to the goddess, perhaps further supporting the possible connection between the divinity and the water supply.

Excavations at Cupra Marittima revealed a 40 cm wide and 8 m long votive pit cut into bedrock, with a maximum depth of 20 cm. The arrangement of the artifacts within this pit may indicate that the area was once filled with water, which itself perhaps derived from the spring of the Fosso di Sant’Andrea. This pit contained one thousand artifacts, including incense burners, miniature ovens, spoons, ladles, ornaments such as beads or pendants, and several unidentified items, some of which may consist of miniature boundary cippi. Additionally, there were also miniaturized versions of vessels such as jars, two-handled cups, and biconical vases, all of which imitate types of containers used to store liquid. These miniature vessels are stylistically similar to other Italian pottery that is itself dated to between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, perhaps implying a similar date for the votive pit. Moreover, there are other parallel examples of close proximity between miniature vessels and springs throughout in Picenum and caves in Abruzzo and Emilia-Romagna. Evidence from other Italian cult places may attest to a perceived connection between death and springs, a notion perhaps reflected at Marittima, as the vessels at this site are typologically similar to items discovered in tombs at Marittima and other areas such as Ripatransone and Grottammare. These vessels may indicate that the site, and therefore perhaps Cupra herself, were connected to rituals associated with purification and the transition into the afterlife. However, according to the Betts, the connection between this site and Cupra is uncertain, as it rests largely upon the existence of later sanctuary sites at Marittima dedicated to the goddess.

Legacy and influence

In the periodic table, copper's symbol is Cu, which derives from Cupra, Latin for copper.

References

Bibliography

• Bradley, Guy. Archaic sanctuaries in Umbria. In: Cahiers du Centre Gustave Glotz, 8, 1997. pp. 111–129. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/ccgg.1997.1436]; [www.persee.fr/doc/ccgg_1016-9008_1997_num_8_1_1436]

• Capriotti, Tiziana. "Il santuario della dea Cupra a Cupra Maritima: una proposta di ubicazione". In: Hesperìa 26, Studi sulla grecità d'Occidente, a cura di Lorenzo Braccesi, Flavio Raviola e Giuseppe Sassatelli. Università di Padova (Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofa); Università di Bologna (Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia). 2010. pp. 119–160.

• Colonna, G. "Il santuario di Cupra fra Etruschi, Greci, Umbri e Picenti". In: Paci G. (a cura di), Cupra Marittima e il suo territorio in età antica. Atti del Convegno di studi, "Picus", suppl. II. Tivoli. 1993. pp. 3–31.

• Christie, Neil. The Journal of Roman Studies 85 (1995): 300-01. doi:10.2307/301120.

• Delplace, Chirstine. La Romanisation du Picenum. L'exemple d'Urbs Salvia. Rome: École Française de Rome, 1993. 444 p. (Publications de l'École française de Rome, 177). [www.persee.fr/doc/efr_0000-0000_1993_ths_177_]

• Gagé Jean. La mort de Servius Tullius et le char de Tullia. In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 41, fasc. 1, 1963. pp. 25–62. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.1963.2451]; [www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_1963_num_41_1_2451]

• Chronique — Kroniek. In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 47, fasc. 1, 1969. Antiquité — Oudheid. pp. 172–360. [www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_1969_num_47_1_2766]

• Galie, V. Grottammare e il culto della dea Cupra. Archeoclub Grottammare 1992, pp. 89.

• Lejeune, Michel. Noms osco-ombriens des eaux, des sources et des fontaines. In: L'Italie préromaine et la Rome républicaine. I. Mélanges offerts à Jacques Heurgon. Rome : École Française de Rome, 1976. pp. 551–571. (Publications de l'École française de Rome, 27 [www.persee.fr/doc/efr_0000-0000_1976_ant_27_1_1821])

• Rocchi, G. Il cippo di Cupra e il suo tempio. Sessualità e antropomorfismo dell'antica "Dea". Archeoclub d'Italia, sede di Cupra Marittima 1992, pp. 189.

• Susini, Giancarlo. Aspects de la romanisation de la Gaule cispadane : chute et survivance des Celtes. In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 109e année, N. 1, 1965. pp. 143–163. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/crai.1965.11831]; [www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_1965_num_109_1_11831]

• Toutain, Jules. X. — Religions de la Grèce et de Rome. In: École pratique des hautes études, Section des sciences religieuses. Annuaire 1925-1926. 1924. pp. 41–45. [www.persee.fr/doc/ephe_0000-0002_1924_num_38_34_20114]

• Whatmough, Joshua. The Foundations of Roman Italy. Routledge. 2015. p. 241.

References

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