Cult Of Bacchus Essay

Just as religion is an important part of any society, religion and worship of the gods was a fundamental concept to the foundation of Rome. As Rome continued to expand across Europe and Africa, the incorporation of societies conquered by Rome brought about foreign religious identities and cults. Specifically, contact with the Greeks had left an impression on the Romans, with the Romans adopting the majority of the Greek Gods while changing most of their names. While some of the foreign deities were seen as a danger to the Roman elite, such as the Cult of Bacchus, some were accepted and sponsored by the Roman Senate, which is the case for the Cult of Magna Mater. What drove the Roman Senate to suppress the Cult of Bacchus while welcoming the Cult of Magna Mater into the religion practiced by the society?

The little information that we know concerning the Cult of Bacchus is

Evidence supports that the goal of the Senate was to control the religions practiced by their citizens in order to maintain control over Rome. In the case of the Cult of Bacchus, we see a cult that was not formed by the Roman elite, but was brought about through its citizens. While Livy may argue that suppression of the cult may have been morally motivated to preserve the image of Roman values, the Roman Senate was afraid of an uprising due to cult gaining popularity that they could not control. The cult was mostly ran by women, which went against the patriarchal Roman society, and sought to initiate young men before they were of age to serve in the military and come of age through the common channels experienced by men at the time. The Cult of Bacchus was a threat to the Roman Senate’s control over Italy and the way of life, as they had known it. The Senatorial Decree on the Rites of Bacchus and the persecution of 7,000 members supports this