Entre hombres y divinidades menores. Los Genii Cucullati de la ciudad romana de Clunia (Burgos)

Abstract

In different archaeological interventions, systematic as well as emergency ones, carried
out up to knowing the Roman city of Clunia (Peñalba de Castro, Burgos, Spain), it has been
located an interesting set of terracotta figurines. These ones show the caracteristic cucullus,
the ancient attire worn by low status men as well as by notables who wished not to be recognized.
Besides, with this unique hood, or cloak-hood, they were represented with a special
meaning the so called genii cucullati, divine beings and other gods. This whole of representations
amounts to ten examples, from which only five have been briefly mentioned in previous
publications, constitutes the second largest of this kind of pieces documented in the Iberian
Peninsula, and comes to complete its dispersal map in old Hispania. Reviewing, systematically
studying these unpublished pieces, analyzing and interpreting their meaning is the aim of this
work, which will contribute to extend our knowledge about the symbolism, or the meaning,
of these characteristic terracotta figurines.