A Study Of The Cult Of Cybele In Roman Empire

Phrygian cult of Cybele is well known from Greek and Roman sources. Greece and Rome. Cybele comes from Phrygian, the Greeks have transformed her legends and external image. Since then, the external image of the Cybele has been fixed. The cult spread from the establishment of Roman Empire to the second century A.D. Romans absorbed some figures of Greek Cybele, but for political and religious factors, etc., the cult of Cybele has also been changed. It became a Roman religion and spread over the Empire. This article will make analysis on the process of romanization of the cult in the early Roman Empire.This paper is composed of three parts:introduction, text and conclusion.The introduction is about the research achievements on this thesis at home and abroad, and makes an analysis to deficiencies in existing literatures as well as to the significance of studying this thesis.The first part of the text determines the Phrygian source of the Cybele first of all. When her cult spread to Greece, Greeks enriched the image and legends of Cybele, which has significant impact on the image and mythology of Cybele in Roman.The second part of the text focuses on the background of Roman religion when Cybele was brought to Rome from Phrygia. There are clear historical records and a large number of archaeological findings in Rome proving that the cult of Cybele has widely spread in Rome. Autocrats’ support, its own identity and a large number of followers are all important reasons for the expansion of cult of Cybele in the early Roman Empire.The third part of the text expounds a series of changes that take place after the introduction of Cybele. Cybele becomes a new goddess more suitable for Romans, she was linked with the founder of the Roman race. This made her public cult stood in marked contrast to her counterpart’s rites in the Greek world, where she was worshiped solely with private, initiation rites. She also was worshiped with private in Rome, her followers castrate themselves in order to show devotional. Although she was a foreign goddess, her temples and rituals are all Roman features, and the cult developed a romanized cult.The fourth part of the text analyzes the impact of the cult of Cybele on society and civil living in Rome. Although it has widely expanding in the territory of Rome and there are countless followers, it fails to become the official religion in Rome ultimately, which related to its own limitations. Moreover, Christianity has also absorbed numerous sacrificial rites of the cult of Cybele in its development process.The conclusion of this article is the abstraction of the whole text:the research on the cult of Cybele has provided a new perspective and a broader understanding to study the culture and religion of early Roman Empire.