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A Comparison Of Rome And Secret Societies

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Secret Societies and Rome
Humans, as a whole, tend to form in to groups. Those groups range from nations to cities to families, even specific organizations fill the role. Through investigating groups, much can be learned about the society as a whole, and the more specific the better. When it comes to specialized groups however, selection of members becomes elite and measures of secrecy arise, forming so called ‘secret societies’. Secret societies are an incredibly detailed and incredibly fascinating facet of cultures, and the intrigue around them attracts much, including my own, attention due to their mystery and the sheer romanticism of the subject. Secret societies included non-widespread religions, such as Mithraism and Christianity, or smaller groups with tight rules around their inner workings, such as the Cult of Demeter and Persephone or Iris. …show more content…
Rome was interesting in the way it incorporated and accepted other religions, specifically the worship of other gods, though Christianity and Judaism were distinct from this as they cut out the idea the Roman pantheon existed, making them distinct. Mithraism was common to worship amongst soldiers, centered around the Persian god of “the sun, justice, and war” Mithras. The cult was exclusively male, and worship, with a hierarchal priesthood and bull sacrifices were included in the practices. The cult of Mithras was grouped in to sects known as ‘caves’ and were highly organized and secretive. Many wives of Mithraists were worshippers of Cybele, who was a Phrygian earth and fertility goddess with a group of all female worshippers. (Dixon-Kennedy,

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