Roman religion did not focus on doctrinal orthodoxy or even on exclusive devotion to one particular religious sect. Instead, Romans engaged in a variety of religious practices, picking and choosing the ones that best satisfied their practical, emotional, and spiritual needs. This fresco was painted on the wall of a Roman villa in the southern Italian resort town of Pompeii. It depicts an initiation ceremony into the cult of Dionysus. Like other so-called mystery religions, the cult of Dionysus promised initiates access to secret knowledge and a special, personal relationship with the divine being or beings at the center of the cult. Here, an initiate (right) carries an offering to Dionysus, while a young girl, with her mother seated behind her, reads the cult’s catechism. A priestess (left) presides over the ritual. As you examine the fresco, ask yourself why cults like the one depicted here might have been especially appealing to Roman women. What did such cults offer women that other forms of Roman religion did not?

READING AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS