CLAS202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Roman Funerary Practices, Pompeian Styles, Tepidarium
15 Jun 2015
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Document Summary
Traditional state religions and imperial cult too impersonal to satisfy needs of the individual. Common people turn to exciting eastern religions. Mystery religions offered purification, monotheism, communion, life after death. Cults come from eastern mediterranean (exotic): often involve ecstasy. Cybele( asian mother goddess): brings boyfriend back to life. Priests could be roman but must be castrated, run through rome and toss genitals at house. Festival: fasting, purification and carry around bull genitals. Milthras (asian/persian god of light, truth, and good god) Known as lord of light, god of truth, saviour from death, giver of bliss, warrior, victorious. Comes to rome in the later half of the 1st ad. Followers must be tough, disciplined, popular with soldiers and merchants. Bull slaying scene, reproduced in underground shrines. Temples built in caves or built to look like caves. Conical black stone in syrian cult image. Drums, cymbols and anthems sung by women. (jewish palestinian carpenters son, claimed to be son of yahweh.
