Gli spazi del rito nel santuario urbano di Uni a Marzabotto

The contribution presents the most recent discoveries within the sanctuary of Uni in R.I, 4 of Marzabotto, from a perspective that aims to enhance the contextual and integrated reading of the data, including the study of materials, epigraphic documents, paleobotanical and archaeozoological remains. The architectural structures are analyzed, with particular focus on an altar located beside the temple dedicated to ritual sacrifice. Special attention is given to the ritual spaces and the votive deposits found near the rear wall of the temple, datable to the 4th century BCE, during a phase of sanctuary modifications and likely de-functionalization of certain areas. These findings contribute to a clearer understanding of the ritual practices, gestures, and semantic sphere of a cult centered on human and agrarian fertility, predominantly associated with the feminine aspect. The evidence of the cults of Uni and Vei, interrelated in a manner that is being endeavored to elucidate, is placed within the broader political, social, and economic context of the city, of which the temple, in its various stages, serves as a reflection.