The Taurobolium. Its Evolution and Terminology

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THE TAUROBOLIUM ITS EVOLUTION AND TERMINOLOGY

ETUDES PRELIMINAIRES AUX RELIGIONS ORIENTALES DANS L'EMPIRE ROMAIN. PUBLIEES PAR

M. J. VERMASEREN TOME DIXI~ME

ROBERT DUTHOY THE TAUROBOLIUM ITS EVOLUTION AND TERMINOLOGY

LEIDEN

E.J.BRILL 1969

Lactora ( LectourP) n° II 2

ROBERT DUTHOY

THE TAUROBOLIUM ITS EVOLUTION AND TERMINOLOGY

WITH A FRONTISPIECE AND ONE MAP

LEIDEN

E.J. BRILL 1969

CoPJright 1969 b] E. f. Brill, Leiden, Netherl•nd; All ~ights re1erveJ. No part of this hook ma1 be reproJM,ed or lrarulated in anJ form, b1 print, photoprinl, microfilm or an1 other means witho111 wrillen permiuion from the p11hlisher PRINTI!O JN THE NETHERLANDS

AAN MIJN OUDERS IN LIEFDEVOLLE DANKBAARHEID

CONTENTS Abbreviations-Bibliography .

IX

Introduction

I

Part I: The Sources .

5

A. The Inscriptions B. The Literary Texts . Part 11: Analysis of the Inscriptions I. The Non-verbal Terms . 11. The Verb .

Part Ill: The Evolution of the Taurobolium. . Introduction I. The Successive Phases of the Taurobolium a. Tau~obolium facet'e . . . . . b. T au~obolium accipet'e I t~adet'e . . c. T au~obolium pet'cipet'e I tauroboliati d. The Unclassified Inscriptions 11. An Explanation of the Evolution. Ill. The Origin of the Taurobolium.

5 54

57 57 77 87 87

92 92 95 101 Ill

112 122

Conclusion

126

Index of Corresponding Inscriptions.

128

ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY AE AJA Allard Al!mer Anrich

Arch. Zeit. Arq. Port. Ath. Mitt. Bailey Bayet BCTH Beaujeu

Bloch, Document

Bloch, Revival

Boissier HOmer

Bonner

L'Annee Epigraphique, Revue des pvhlwuions epigraphiques relatives a I' antiquitl romaine. American journal of Archaeology. P. Allard, Julien I'Apostf'IS latims do I'Alglrio, I, Inscriptir>f'IS do la Proconsulaire, Paris 1922. E. Esperandieu, I mcriptir>f'IS latims do Gault, Paris 1928-1929. A. Merlin, I nscriptir>f'IS lalims do la Tunisio, Paris 1944·

Loisy

Journal of Hellenic Studios. C. 1ullian, Imcriptir>f'IS romaines do Bordeawt, I, Bordeaux 1893, 33-37· G. Kaibel, Epigrammata Graeca ex lapidibus conlecla, Berlin 1878 = Hildesheim 1965. N. Kautz- J. Schmiedel, De laurobolio, Lipsiae 1738. A. Koerte, Kle1nasiatisclte Studion, Ill c, Deliclilasch in At/ten. Mitt. 23 (1898), 97-105. M. 1. Lagrange, Allis ressuscili in RIJVue Biblique 36 (1927). 561-566. M. 1. Lagrange, Attis et le Chrislianisme in RIJVue Biblique 16 (1919), 419-480. P. Lambrechts, Allis, van !tertkrsktJa~Jp lot god, Brussel 1962. P. Lambrechts, Les flies .,phrygionnes" do Cyb~le et d' A llis in Bulletin do I' I mtitut hislorique beige do Rome 27 (1952), 141-170. P. Lambrechts, Op do grem van iteitkndom en christendom, Brussel 1955· P. Lambrechts, A llis en ltet fees I tkr Hilariln, Amsterdam 1967. P. Lambrechts, Over griekse en oosterse mysteriegodsdiensten, de zgn. Adonismysterios, Brussel 1954· K. Latte, R6misclte Religirmsgeschichte, Mtinchen 1900, 353-356. A. Lavergne, Revue do Gascogm 23 (1892), 507, note about vires excipere. Cl. Lebegue, Note sur les tauroboles et le christia,.isme in Revue Historique 37 (1888), 315-318. J. Le Gall, Inscription criobolique dlcouverte a Utique in Karthago 9 (1958), II9-127. A. Loisy, Les mystlres paiem et le mys~re chritien,

Mal ten

L. Mal ten, Der Stier in K ult und mythisclte111 Bild in

1HS 1ullian Kaibel Kautz Koerte Lagrange, A Nis Lagrange, Cltrist. Lambrechts, Attis Lambrechts. Flies

Lambrechts, G.-ens Lambrechts, HilarilK Lambrechts, Myst. Latte Lavergne Lebegue Le Gall

Paris 19301 , 112-120.

] ahrbuch dos DeutsciteK A rchaeologischen I mtituts 43 (1928), 90-139·

ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

XIII

1. Marquardt, Le culte chez

/$s Romains, I, Paris 1889. Marquardt, Staalsverw. 1. Marquardt, RO...iscile Staalsverwaltung. Ill, Leipzig 1878, 87-89. C. H. Moore, Tile duration of tile Efficacy of tile Moore, Duration Taurobolium in Classical Philology 19 (1924), 363365. C. H. Moore. On tile Origin of tile Taurobolium in Moore. Origin Harvard Studie-s in Classical Philology 17 (1906), 43-48. M lmoires de la Sociltl nationale des A ntiquairos de MSAF F,.ana. M. P. Nilsson, Geschichte der griuhiscile R•ligion, II, Nilsson Miinchen 1961 1 , 651-654. N otirie degli Scavi di A ntichitd. NSA W. Dittenberger. Orientis graecae inscriptiones OGIS selectae, Leipzig 1903-1905 = Hildesheim 196o. H. Opperma.nn. Taurobolia in RE IX, Stuttgart Oppermann 1934. 16-21. Pettazwni R. Pettazzoni. I misteri. Saggio di una teoria skwicoreligiosa. Bologna 1924. 107-108; 131-134· Poetae Latinae Minores, ed. Baehrens PLM L. Preller- H. 1ordan, RO...iscile M ythologie, Berlin Preller 1883 1 • 390-394. K. Pruemm, Religionsgeschichtliciles H andbuch fur Pruemm den Raum der Altchristlicilen Umwelt. Rome 19541 , 262-263. A. Rapp. Attis in Roscller. I. Leipzig 1884-1890, Rapp, Attis 716·727. A. Rapp. Kybele in Roscller, II, Leipzig 1890-1897. Rapp. Kybele 1638-1672. Revue Archlologique. RA Pauly-Wissowa. Real. Enc. Class. Altert. RE Revue des Etudes Anciennes. REA R. Reitzenstein, Di~ hellenistischen M ysterienReitzenstein religionen, Leipzig 19271 , 22; 45; 46; 165. R~ville 1. R~ville, La religion a Rome sous les Slv~res, Paris 1888, 68-6g; 96-97. L. Richard, L'autel taurobolique de Texan in Revue Richard Archtologique du Centre 6 (1967), 101-II8. Richard L. Richard, L'autel taurobolique du Pouzin in REA 6g (1967). 255-265. Rose her AusfUhYliches Lexicon der griechischen und r6miscMn Mythologie, ilerausgegeben von W. H. Roscher, Leipzig 1894-1926. De Ruggiero, Dizionario epigrafico di A ntichitd Rugg

Marquardt, C..U..

romane.

Rummens

A. Rummens, Het taurobolium, doct. thesis, Leuven 1942, typescript.

XIV

Sayous Schepelern Schiitze Schwenn

SEG Semper Showerman

TAM

ThLL Toutain Van Dale

Wickert

Willoughby Wissowa Zippel

ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

E. Sayous, Le tau•obok in Revue d'Histoi" des Religions 16 (1887). 137-156. W. Schepelem, D..- Montanismus und die pMygische Kulte, Tiibingen 1929, Io5-122. A. Schiitze, MitMas-Myste.ien und U.cMistentum, Stuttgart 196o1 , 118. E. Schwenn, Kybek in RE XI, Stuttgart 1922, 2250-2258.

Supplementum Epig•aPhicum G1-aecum. M. Semper, Rassen und Religionen im Alte" Va.duasien, Heidelberg 1930, I87; 258; 301; 307. G. Showerrnan, The g.eat Motile• of the Gods in

Bulktin of the Univ..-sity of Wisconsin, Philol. Suies l, J, 43 (1901), 280-284. Tituli Asiae Mina.is, Vindobonae, I, 1901; II, fasc. I, 1920; fasc. 2, 1930; fasc. 3, 1943; Ill, fasc. I, 1941. Thesau•us Linguae Latinae, Lipsiae 1904 ff. J. Toutain, Les cultes paiens dans l'empi" romain, II, Les cultes de l'empi._ romain, Paris 1911, 84-91. A. V an Dale, DissMtationes I X antiquitatibus quin et marmoribus cum Romanis tum potissimum Graecis illustrandis inservien~s. Disserlatio I: De cwigiM et •itibus sacri tau•obolii, Amstelodam.i 1702, 1-174. L. Wickert. Be•icht ubM eine zweite Reise zur V a.bereitung von Cl L ll suppl. 11 in Siteb. P.euss. A kad. Wissensch. (Phii.-Hist. Kl.) 32 (I931), 827-844. H. R. Willoughby, Pagan Rege,....ation, Chicago 1929 = 1900. G. Wissowa, Religion und Kultus dM R6mer, Miinchen I912 1 , 322-327. G. Zippel. Das Tau•obolium in FestscMift mm funfzigjaMigen Docta.jubilaum Ludw. Friedla~s. Leipzig 1895, 498-520.

INTRODUCTION When in the fowth century of our era the struggle between paganism and Christianity was at its fiercest and it was gradually becoming clear that the new religion would be victorious, the taurobolium was one of the weapons the worshippers of the old gods made use of. One has merely to consider the names of a few of the dedicators from the second half of the fourth century to see that this is so--Sextilius Agesilaus Aedesius, Quintus Clodius Flavianus, Vettius Agorius Praetextatus, Ceionius Rufius Volusianus. A passage in St. Gregory of Nazianzus (Oratio c. Jul., 10, 52) seems even to imply that the Emperor Julian himself received the taurobolium. But before this stage the taurobolium had already been through a long evolution. Indeed the word in its Greek forrn--.ctupo~6ALO-r­ occurs in inscriptions as early as the first century B.C., while xp.. M .. I [7tpU't']civecu.;· [xp~(.tCl't'Cl 't'cl I lvyp]«q>« .Xm...[da&rj ..... I .... ]illou x«t ....... 11 [>. ?]wpou Bt[l8]ocr~v [t][l]8[ ocrJ~[ v x]~t f;l"tjp~ofL[