TREATMENT OF FOREIGN RELIGION IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE: THE CULT OF CYBELE IN ROME (THIRD CENTURY B.C. – FOURTH CENTURY A.D.)

Abstract

The Roman Empire dominated the Mediterranean from the mid-second century B.C. to the fifth century A.D., and its expansion and increased contact with foreign cultures resulted in various foreign influences in its society. In particular, Roman religion saw the incorporation of several foreign cults, though historical evidence suggests a degree of social disapproval towards the practices of certain cults. The cult of Cybele, brought to Rome from Anatolia in 204 B.C., serves as a case study to further our understanding of the treatment of foreign mystery cults in Rome, and the reasons for their acceptance into the empire despite seemingly unacceptable practices. In chapter one, I explain Rome’s religious context and in chapter two, I argue that the cult’s growing prominence in Rome gave rise to tensions concerning its more exotic practices. In chapters three and four, I address the cult’s public festivities and mystery elements respectively, and argue that these activities stood out in the Roman Empire for their deviations from traditional Roman religious practices. As seen from the accounts of Greco-Roman historians and poets, the cult practices were tolerated, though their deviant aspects contributed to their social and legal isolation. Therefore, my examination of cult activities and Roman attitudes towards them from the third century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. indicates a consistency with pre-conceived notions of foreignness and a potential for legal isolation that facilitated the cult’s acceptance into Roman society. Furthermore, I argue that concepts of Orientalism and the aforementioned notions of foreignness contributed to clearer distinctions between Roman and other in order to strengthen the Roman socio-cultural identity.