Paculla Annia
paculla annia campanian priestess bacchus known roman historian livy account introduction growth spread unofficial bacchanalia festival ferociously suppressed bc threat extreme penalty paculla annia said presided corruption bacchus mystery cult holy orgia starting around livy describes bacchanalia hitherto reserved woman daylight ritual held three day year paculla annia changed nocturnal rite increased frequency five month opened social class sex starting son minius herennius cerrinius made winefueled violence sexual promiscuity mandatory initiate cult thought function hidden state within state according livy particular appeal leuitas animi fickle uneducated mind lower class plebeian woman young morally weak men like woman thought susceptible even men highest class immune virtuous exinitiate prostitute hispala faecenia though fearing vengeance cult revealed shocked roman senate investigation complete suppressed cult saving rome divine wrath disaster would otherwise suffered livy claim six thousand executed arrest included pacullas son minius cerrineus legislation cult rather forced reformation given senatus consultum de bacchanalibus pacullas fate unknown modern scholarship agrees dionysiac bacchic mystery cult practiced roman italy several decade considered acceptable roman authority abrupt discovery rapid suppression paculla annia unlikely introduced change attributed livy many dramatis persona stylistic flourish trope may draw roman satyr play bacchanalia hispala faecenia provides dramatic trope goldenhearted prostitute whose courageous testimony goodness loyalty far outweigh low origin profession fear reprisal fontaine assuming plautus truculentus contemporary earlier event speculates plot theme central character greedy scheming evil courtesan phrynesium archmanipulator men thinly veiled politically conservative allegory paculla annia involvement bacchanalia particularly illicit introduction men cult challenge established order rule senatus consultum de bacchanalibus interpreted assertion rome civil religious authority either throughout italian peninsula within roman territory following recent punic war subsequent social political instability illicit bacchanal persisted covertly many year particularly southern italy likely place origin