Neolithic Settlement

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tiompan T
tiompan Jun 5, 2013 17:02:21
Replying to Littlestone

Littlestone wrote:
tiompan wrote:
There are countless examples suggesting that the site was dedicated to Sulis Minerva a healing deity , I could list some if you like ,or simply google it yourself . That is why I asked if you disagreed if it was the most common assumption .You didn't answer .
The argument is supported by the facts on the ground .
There is no evidence that can strengthen the case and until you provide anything to weaken it it makes sense to accept that assumption as the most likely .
Aye up Mr t. That’s not the point. No one’s disputing that the site is dedicated to Sulis Minerva – the question is whether it was dedicate to her in her role as a healing deity. That’s the point. So far the only link you’ve provided is one to the Roman Bath site which categorically does not mention her role at Bath as one of a healing deity.

As much as I’d like to spend time Googling the issue it’s not really for me to disprove your assertion that Bath is dedicated to a healing deity but for you to provide evidence that it is... if you get my drift :-)

It is incumbent on those who are making the extraordinary claim to provide the extraordinary evidence . OK I'll do the leg work for you .
If you can provide any evidence to contradict these assumptions please do . Her's a small sample url's and comments .

http://faculty.vassar.edu/jolott/clas217/projects/bath_project/Sulis_Minerva_2.htm
The Roman goddess Minerva, “as a patroness of the art of healing she was honored at thermal springs (Mac Cana 34).” This association between Minerva and the art of healing meant that she was easily integrated with the cult of the healing, water goddess Sul at Bath . The presence of votive tablets dedicated to Sulis-Minerva and sculptures of a goddess of the same name indicates that the assimilation of one goddess into the other was a thorough one.

http://sacredsites.com/europe/united_kingdom/bath.html
Dedicated to Sulis, a goddess of water, the shrine was a religious center for much of southwestern England. Soon after the arrival of the Romans in England in 43 AD, the Celtic shrine was taken over and the goddess Sulis was identified with the Roman goddess Minerva as a healing deity .

http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/walkthrough/sacred_springs.aspx
In Roman times a great Temple was built next to the Spring dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva, a deity with healing powers. 

http://family.wikinut.com/The-Archaeology-and-Significance-of-the-Goddess-Sulis-Minerva/1w2tbl60/
Sulis-Minerva is the hybrid of the Roman goddess of healing, Minerva, and the native Celtic goddess Sul.

L Littlestone
Littlestone Jun 5, 2013 18:24:44
Replying to tiompan

Mr t, you’re still missing the point.

We all know that one of the manifestations of Minerva was as a deity of healing - that’s not in dispute. The question is whether the baths were dedicated to her as such (and not dedicated to her in one or more of her other manifestations). You still have not provided evidence for that, and you continue to skip over the fact that the official Roman Bath website (which you yourself supplied) does not mention that the springs (at Bath) were dedicated to her in that role. The links you supply are simply saying (to quote one) that the “Celtic shrine was taken over and the goddess Sulis was identified with the Roman goddess Minerva as a healing deity.” Yes, again, we know that she was a healing deity. We also know that she was the goddess primarily of other things and, by extension, has an equal claim in the dedication stakes from that perspective.