Dodona in the Era of Roman Conquests (1st c. BC – 1st c. AD)

Introduction. The ancient Greeks were very receptive to various kinds of predictions, as a result of which various oracles enjoyed great authority. One of them was the Dodona Oracle, located on the northernmost border of Greece in a mountainous region called Epirus. Methods and materials. The article is based on various types of historical sources – narrative, epigraphic, and archaeological data – which predetermined the methods and principles of the study. This is, first of all, a comparative historical method, with the help of which, by comparing various historical sources, the most important of them are identified. The author also used the principle of trust in the historical source. Analysis. Originating in the Late Bronze Age, the Dodona Oracle reached its peak in the 5th – 4th centuries BC. Some changes in the position of the Dodona sanctuary occurred during the era of the Roman conquests. The territory of Epirus was first devastated by the Roman army under Aemilius Paulus in 168/167 BC, and then Dodona itself was sacked by the Thracians in 88 BC. All this gave rise to the opinion that after these devastations, Dodona’s activities were completely stopped. This conclusion was indirectly supported by the silence of narrative sources. However, some epigraphic sources, as well as some monuments of material culture in general, made it possible to reconsider the prevailing opinion. Very indicative in this regard are fragments of the monument to the wife of Emperor Octavian Augustus, Livia, on the basis of which parts of the dedicatory inscription have been preserved. Fragments of this inscription mentioning the Molossian Agonothetes and the Epirotic League are supplemented by a number of similar inscriptions, the texts of which are only partially preserved. Results. All this allowed for a reevaluation of the prevailing opinion among historians and introduced the idea that, during the time of the first princeps, Dodona continued to operate, albeit with a slight shift in its activities, transforming from an oracle into a venue for various holidays and festivals.