Bacchanalia
bacchanali unofficial privately funded popular roman festival bacchus based various ecstatic element greek dionysia almost certainly associated rome native cult liber probably arrived rome around bc like mystery religion ancient world little known rite seem popular wellorganised throughout central southern italian peninsula livy writing year event offer scandalized extremely colourful account bacchanalia frenzied rite sexually violent initiation sex age social class represents cult murderous instrument conspiracy state livy claim seven thousand cult leader follower arrested executed livy believed bacchanalia scandal one several indication rome inexorable moral decay modern scholar take skeptical approach livy allegation cult banned senatorial legislation reform bacchanalia bc attempted control size organisation priesthood threat death penalty may motivated less kind lurid dramatic rumour livy describes senate determination assert civil moral religious authority rome ally prolonged social political military crisis second punic war – bc reformed bacchanalia rite may merged liberalia festival bacchus liber dionysus became virtually interchangeable late republican era bc onward mystery cult persisted well principate roman imperial era bacchanalia roman festival bacchus grecoroman god wine freedom intoxication ecstasy based greek dionysia dionysian mystery probably arrived rome c bc via greek colony southern italy etruria rome northern neighbour tenney frank suggests form dionysian worship may introduced rome captive formerly greek city tarentum southern italy captured carthaginian bc like mystery cult bacchanalia held strict privacy initiate bound secrecy little known cult rite derives greek roman literature play statuary painting one earliest source greek playwright euripides bacchae athenian dionysia competition bc bacchanalia may mystery element public element religious drama performed public private rite performed acolyte priest deity livy principal roman literary source early bacchanalia name paculla annia campanian priestess bacchus founder private unofficial bacchanalia cult rome based grove stimula western slope aventine hill descends tiber aventine ethnically mixed district strongly identified rome plebeian class ingres new foreign cult wine fertility god liber pater free father divine patron plebeian right freedom augury longestablished official cult nearby temple shared cere libera roman source describe rome equivalent dionysus bacchus sometimes titled eleutherios liberator livy claim earliest version bacchanalia open woman held three day year daylight nearby etruria north rome greek humble origin versed sacrifice soothsaying established nocturnal version added wine feasting mix thus acquired enthusiastic following woman men nocturnal version bacchanalia involved winedrinking excess drunkenness free mingling sex class rite also involved loud music according livy account publius aebutius gen aebutia warned cult excess courtesan hispala faecenia senate appointed spurius postumius albinus quintus marcius philippus investigate cult inquiry claimed cover religion priest acolyte broke civil moral religious law impunity weakminded individual could persuaded commit ritual political murder undetected behest secretly controlled cult right heart rome livy claim cult held particular appeal uneducated fickle mind levitas animi young plebeian woman men like woman city population involved even member rome highest class legislation survives form inscription known senatus consultum de bacchanalibus brought bacchanalia control senate thus roman pontifex existing cult chapter college dismantled congregation mixed gender permitted limited two men three woman bacchanalia gathering must seek prior permission senate men forbidden bacchus priesthood despite official suppression illicit bacchanal persisted covertly many year particularly southern italy likely place origin reformed officially approved bacchic cult would borne little resemblance earlier crowded ecstatic uninhibited bacchanalia similar attrition may imposed libers cult perceived actual association bacchanalia may reason liberalia ludi march temporarily moved cere cerealia – april restored ferocity reaction eased approved much modified form livy account bacchanalia described tendentious say least political social conservative deep mistrust mystery religion probably understood form bacchanalia sign roman degeneracy though dramatis persona known historical figure speech implausibly circumstantial character trope plot development draw roman satyr play bacchanalia paculla annia unlikely introduced change attribute livy cult greatest offence arose indiscriminate mixing freeborn roman sex age night time passion easily aroused especially given wine unrestricted opportunity woman gathering say outnumbered men account consul postumius stress overwhelmingly female nature organization cult yet senatus consultum de bacchanalibus allows woman outnumber men three two permitted gathering expressly forbids bacchic priesthood men livy narrative name one offending cult leader male seems eliminate perceived conspiracy woman gender seems motivated senate response cause livy consistent negative description cult greek origin low moral character—not even bacchus exempt judgment—may sought justify suppression sudden infiltration many greek element roman worship cult however active rome many year supposedly abrupt discovery bacchic dionysiac cult part life roman allied greekspeaking italy many decade greek cult greek influence part rome religious life since th century bc rome acquisition foreign cults—greek otherwise—through alliance treaty capture conquest cornerstone foreign policy essential feature eventual hegemony pace introduction gathered rapidly rd century contemporary evidence bacchanalia reform betrays antigreek antiforeign policy sentiment gruen interprets senatus consultum piece realpolitik display roman senate authority italian ally second punic war reminder roman politician populist wouldbe generalissimo senate collective authority trumped personal ambition nevertheless extent ferocity official response bacchanalia probably unprecedented betrays form moral panic part roman authority burkert find nothing comparable religious history persecution christian modern usage bacchanalia mean uninhibited drunken revelry bacchanal art describes small group reveler often including satyr perhaps bacchus silenus usually landscape setting subject popular renaissance onwards usually included large degree nudity among figure anthesteria ganachakra maenad female worshipper dionysus saturnalia roman festivity thriambus hymn sung procession honour dionysus senatus consultum de bacchanalibus latin latin library decree senate concerning rite bacchususurped senatus consultum de bacchanalibus english forumromanumorg description bacchanalia senate ruling fordham