The paper considers the evidence of the cult of Minerva in the Brescia area in Roman times.
The analysis of the cultual data in the context of the more general archaelogical and
territorial framework reveals a complex and diverse scenario. The late Iron Age witnessed
the development of the Gruppo Breno-Dos dell’Arca of Valcamonica to the north, with
a strong gravitational pull towards the Alpine area; the plain to the south became part
of the Celtic (Cenomani) sphere of influence since the end of the fourth century B.C.
This cultual duality resisted until the Romanization and is reflected in the worship of
Minerva, the spread and characteristics of which seem to testify a varied response to
different strategies of Romanization.
