Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
This research-master thesis focusses on the social implications of the Mithras cult in Rome’s port-city of Ostia. The social aspects of the cult have until now received little scholarly attention....Show moreThis research-master thesis focusses on the social implications of the Mithras cult in Rome’s port-city of Ostia. The social aspects of the cult have until now received little scholarly attention. A high number of sanctuaries dedicated to this cult are preserved in Ostia, most of which are architecturally well preserved. The methodology devised for this study is based on the concepts of Lived Religion and Spatiality. Drawing on these theoretical frameworks, a dataset of 17 sanctuaries was analysed at three distinct scales. Firstly, the sanctuaries, known as mithraea, were studied individually and compared to each other in terms of (ritual) use and decoration. Then all the mithraea were examined within their immediate urban surroundings to identify local spatial activities as well as common trends in spatial engagement. Lastly, the chronological and spatial development of the cult throughout the city was analysed, together with the relationship of these sanctuaries to the urban street network. This research yielded many novel results. In terms of ritual use, decorations, and the spatial engagement between the mithraea and their surroundings, this study identified numerous commonalities and significant variations. It can be suggested that these small religious communities transmitted thoughts and ideas to each other, and these seemed to have influenced architectural and stylistic decisions. The cult played an important role in the daily lives of a substantial number of relatively small groups of men, belonging to the mostly lower classes of society. These small religious groups formed a new social nucleus that partially replaced earlier social structures and family ties that were perhaps not so strongly present in the expanding city. The notions of ‘self’ and ‘us’ were built and fostered through initiation and exclusiveness, an obscurity attached to the sanctuaries, and the creation of a very distinct ritual identity. This identity was reinforced through the unique ritual functioning of these places and their appearance.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
2018-09-22T00:00:00Z
In this thesis, I analyze the Akītu festival for the purpose of understanding the socio-political landscape of the Neo- and Late-Babylonian periods in Babylon (626 BCE - 100 BCE). The history of...Show moreIn this thesis, I analyze the Akītu festival for the purpose of understanding the socio-political landscape of the Neo- and Late-Babylonian periods in Babylon (626 BCE - 100 BCE). The history of the Akītu festival, known as the Mesopotamian New Year’s festival, spans several millennia, but was especially known in its 1st millennium form in Babylon. This analysis focuses on the relationship between kings, gods, and high priests of Babylon and their actions in an historical and social space with relation to this festival. The interaction between cult and state in this shared space is used to compare how each empire utilized the festival and gods in order to exert and subvert power over the other within both an historic context and a wider socio-political history. I show that the Akītu festival was a constantly developing festival that was as dependent on the ruling king as it was a defining factor of kingship in Babylon.Show less
