Dionysos contre Rome

Dionysos against Rome. The scandal of the Bacchanalia in 186 can be understood not only through two well-known texts, but also through the examination of the underground sanctuary at Bolsena, and even more so through the study of the social and religious context at the beginning of the second century B.C. At first, the Affair appears as a secret movement of protest arising mostly from the circles of the Campanian aristocracy. It expresses a new form of religious feeling of neopythagorian inspiration. The same inspiration can be traced in Etruria where it brought about a renewal of traditional religion. It can also be traced in the most official circles in Rome. The article is meant as a reflection on J.M. Pailler's work : Bacchanalia.