Abstract
In this paper we analyse the way the Manes, spirits of the death, are represented in the roman funerary inscriptions. We take into consideration some examples in which they are referred to not only as a community but also as single spirits. In the second part of this paper, we review the epigraphical attestations of the word Manes as a feminine and we explain the reasons why we think they have to be considered as linguistic deviations rather than as gender characterizations.