Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Question: Were the any real secret societies in Roman era.?
#1
Were the any real secret societies in Roman era. Not mystery religions but more like the masons or even citizen committees.

Thanks
Reply
#2
I don't think anything like the masons would have been tolerated in the Empire. Looking at legal sources (and Pliny's letters) we find that all associations are regarded with some suspicion, and collegia are regimented strongly. That said, though, I would not exclude the possibility of less long-lasting 'secret societies'. Our sources on this are so scarce that twenty or thirty years in existence would barely register as a blip. I could see

- illicit religions. Not just the Christianity, but at other times the cult of Dionysos, druidry, and various types of astrology and divination were illegal abnd had to be practised in secret. This usually manifests in small notes saying 'Emperor X expelled the astrologers fropm the city' or similar things, and we know very little about actual enforcement conditions and the duration of such bans.

- illicit collegia. Formal associations needed government approval, but we are nowhere told what actually happened to those without. Theories range from 'lacking formal status as a legal person' to 'savage execution for all participants if found out'. I personally tend more towards the former, but if the latter is even close to true, it could mean them meeting in secret.

- political factions. Meeting under cover of convivia, these groups would not wish their deliberations to be known. This may be part of the explanation for imperial gatecrashing at senatorial dinner parties, too, but I think this more likely at the curial or district level.

Romans in general seem to have been a bit club-mad and loved to associate, so in any situation where this was forbidden, you could get 'secret' societies.
Der Kessel ist voll Bärks!

Volker Bach
Reply


Forum Jump: