Megalesia
megalesia megalensia megalenses ludi festival celebrated ancient rome april april honour cybele roman called magna mater great mother name festival derives greek megalē μϵγάλη meaning great festival one several roman calendar celebrated ludi game performance cybele cult image brought rome pessinus bc along goddess gallae priestess great mother god purported ancestral trojan goddess rome ruling patrician caste recruited act rome behalf war carthage arrival solemnized magnificent procession sacred feast lectisternia game offering temple victory palatine hill image temporarily housed cybele promised temple game honour celebrated regular annual celebration megalesia began temple completion dedication marcus junius brutus megalesia commenced april anniversary cybele arrival rome festival structure unclear included ludi scaenici play entertainment based religious theme probably performed deeply stepped approach temple play commissioned wellknown playwright april image taken public procession circus maximus chariot race held honour racetrack could seen temple threshold statue magna mater permanently sited racetrack dividing barrier showing goddess seated lion back goddess could thus watch festivity held honour roman bystander seem perceived megalesia either characteristically greek phrygian cusp rome transition empire greek dionysius halicarnassus describes procession wild phrygian mummery fabulous claptrap contrast megalesian sacrifice game carried admires dignified traditional roman manner dionysius also applauds wisdom roman religious law forbids participation roman citizen procession goddess mystery slave forbidden witness late republican era lucretius vividly describes procession armed war dancer threeplumed helmet clashing shield together bronze bronze delighted blood yellowrobed longhaired perfumed galli waving knife wild music thrumming tympanons shrill flute along route rose petal scattered cloud incense arise goddess image wearing mural crown seated within sculpted liondrawn chariot carried high bier roman display cybele megalesia procession exotic privileged public pageant offer signal contrast known private socially inclusive phrygiangreek mystery based festival wealthy roman noble played host rotation honour goddess lavish costly competitive occasion wealthy sought impress inferior peer latter case outdo extravagance direct response senate issued decree bc limiting expenditure meat wine silverware feast late republican era cicero attacked political opponent clodius sacrilegious disruption casti sollemnes religiosi pure traditional religious rite megalesia clodius sought popular support defecting patrician plebeian gen megalesia predominantly patrician affair apparent attempt undermine patrician privilege clodius hired slavegangs forcibly take control festival attempt failure clodius prosecuted outrage rome traditional social propriety sacerdos matris deum magnae idaeae lane eugene editor cybele attis related cult essay memory mj vermaseren brill roller lynn emrich search god mother cult anatolian cybele berkeley los angeles california university california press isbn cicero de haruspicum responsis