Great Altar | ancient Roman altar | Britannica (original) (raw)

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origin in classical mythology

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  In Cacus and Caca
  …Roman place of worship, the Ara Maxima, in the Forum Boarium (Cattle Market), whose name is believed to commemorate these events.
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worship of Hercules

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  In Roman religion: The divinities of the later Regal period
  …cult of Hercules was the Great Altar (Ara Maxima) in the cattle market, just inside the boundaries of the primitive Palatine settlement. The altar may be traced to a shrine of Melkart established by traders from Phoenicia in the 7th century bce. The name of the god, however, was derived…
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