] In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, a Bidental was a sacred shrine erected on the spot where lightning had struck.

Creation

Any remains and scorched earth at the spot were to be burned in a hole at the location by priests called ''bidentales''. Any person killed by the bolt was to be buried in the earth where the lightning hit, as opposed to traditional cremation. A '' puteal'' (wellhead), one or sometimes more, was then placed on the spot of burned earth. In order to further consecrate the site, the officiant would

sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

a two-year-old sheep (called a ''bidens''). Finally, an altar was built, and surrounded by a wall or fence to keep any trespassers away. Occasionally when falling into a state of decay, Bidentals would be repaired or reconstructed.

Significance

Considered sacred space, a Bidental was not to be touched, trod upon, or even looked at after completion. Places being struck by lightning were regarded as a terrifying example of

divine wrath Divine retribution is supernatural punishment of a person, a group of people, or everyone by a deity in response to some action. Many cultures have a story about how a deity exacted punishment upon previous inhabitants of their land, causing ...

, and not to be taken lightly. Had a person committed sacrilege, they were punished severely with frenzy. Primarily, it was believed that these shows of divine power were displayed specifically by Jupiter, Roman god of the sky and thunder as well as king of the gods.

References

"The Divine Thunderbolt." Google Books. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.

"Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle." Google Books. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

* "The Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary and Greek Lexicon." Internet Archive. 1849. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. Ancient Roman religious titles Lightning {{AncientRome-stub