Pollution and Religion in Ancient RomePollution could come from any number of sources in the Roman world. Bodily functions, sexual activity, bloodshed, death - any of these could cause disaster if brought into contact with religion. Its presence could invalidate sacrifices, taint religious officials, and threaten to bring down the anger of the gods upon the city. Orators could use pollution as a means of denigrating opponents and obstructing religious procedures, and writers could emphasise the 'otherness' of barbarians by drawing attention to their different ideas about what was or was not 'dirty'. Yet despite all this, religious pollution remained a vague concept within the Latin language, and what constituted pollution could change depending on the context in which it appeared. Calling upon a range of research disciplines, this book highlights the significant role that pollution played across Roman religion, and the role it played in the construction of religious identity. |
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actions Aghori ancient appears argued Beard bloodshed Bodel bodily Bona Dea boundaries Burriss Catiline ceremony chapter Cicero cleansing Clodius Columella conflict contamination context corpse crime danger death define demonstrates described discussed divine Domo Douglas emphasis enemy especially examination example expiation festival Festus s.v. field fire first forms gods Greek Homo Sacer household human sacrifice Ibid incest influenced interpretation issue Latin Lemuria Libertas linked Livy lustration Meigs menstruation murder nefas North and Price offered official ofthe Ovid Parentalia Parker pax deorurn physical Plin Pliny Plut Plutarch pollution pontiffs potential prostitutes purification purity reference reflected religious pollution removal Republic result rites ritual role Roman religion Roman society Rome Rome’s sacred scelus sexual impurity shed significant social specific staining status stressed suggests temple theories threat Tibullus Valerius Maximus Varro Vestal Vestal Virgins victims viewed violation Warde-Fowler wider