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

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

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 A puteal (Latin: from ''puteus'' (well) — plural: ''putealia''Venetian Wellheads @ Veniped ...

'' (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 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, and not to be taken lightly. Had a person committed

sacrilege Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physica ...

, they were punished severely with frenzy. Primarily, it was believed that these shows of divine power were displayed specifically by

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...

, 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