HIST 331,    Medieval Mediterranean

Presentation 1:

Mediterranean Religion and Culture

You are time travelers visiting the Roman Empire circa 350 C.E. Report back on the religious environment. Include:

• Forms of worship

• Religious ceremonies

• Religious hierarchies

• Public religious behavior

Primary sources:

• Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii (Text and Images by James W. Jackson)
• Mithras
  • 2ND David Ulansey: The Cosmic Mysteries of Mithras [Modern Account][At Well.com]
    Useful account with Roman illustrations.
• Isis
  • Lucius Apuleius (c.123-c.170 CE): Isis, Queen of Heaven, from Book 11 of the Golden Ass,
• Roman Sources on the Jews and Judaism, 1 BCE-110 CE
• Porphyry: Against the Christians.
• Julian ("the Apostate") (b.332-r.361-d.363): Letter to Arsacius, c. 360. [At Then Again]
• Constantine I: Laws for Christians
• Jews and the Later Roman Law
• Julian the Apostate and the Jews
• Ambrose: Dispute with Symmachus

Secondary works:

Keith Hopkins, A World Full of Gods: Pagans, Jews and Christians in the Roman Empire.

Prepared 10 January 2003

Updated January 12, 2012

T. Vann

Department of History / College of Saint Benedict/St. John's University