evocatio

In Roman religion, evocatio was a ritual used to invite the patron deities of captured towns to leave their homes and relocate to Rome. This practice, though not positively evidenced until the 3rd century BCE, highlights Rome's willingness to absorb foreign religious customs, even while maintaining its own conservatism. The term "evocation" itself refers to the act of summoning, often a spirit, or imaginative recreation. This ritualistic transfer of deities reflects a broader Roman tendency to integrate the divine forces of conquered peoples into their own religious framework.12