Preliminary Programme

This paper picks up the topic of the ‘unclean’ private lives of the Roman elite, and focuses on the concept of pollution in the sexual discourse during the period of the early Principate. The Romans were very interested in the sexual lives of their contemporaries and especially in those of the political elite. Violations of sexual morality were closely observed and condemned by some Roman authors. The paper aims to illustrate that deviant sexual behaviour was closely linked to the idea of physical and moral impurity: cross-dressing, promiscuity, oral sex, prostitution, incest and adultery include a few of the offences that were perpetrated by only the most sordid contemporaries. Sexuality was nothing private. It was a political issue. As a result, sexual pollution threatened political careers and social status. (Show less)

The exclusion of the dead from urban spaces was an established practice throughout pagan antiquity. In the city of Rome and other Roman cities, legal bans on burial within the city were repeatedly renewed, suggesting both that the norm itself was continuously considered relevant and that transgressions were a fairly common phenomenon. This paper addresses the problem of how this ancient rule was understood by Romans from the Late Republic to Late Antiquity. Special attention is given to the question of how far the exclusion of the dead can be interpreted as a reaction to the possible pollution of the city by their bodies. The significance of the pomerium boundary in this respect as well as the existence of an ancient idea of pollution by the dead have come under attack in recent research. Considering this, it is argued that even if we accept that the idea of death pollution already existed in Republican times, its connection to the urban space in general was – compared to other motives – a rather late phenomenon that needs to be explained (Show less)

This paper considers the role of pollution within the works of the Republican orator and statesman Marcus Cicero, exploring the ways in which Cicero presented the moral turpitude and misdeeds of his enemies as having the power to result in religious pollution, which had threatened the safety of the state. Particular focus is given to the debate surrounding the consecration of a shrine to Libertas on the site of Cicero’s house by his enemies, its subsequent removal, and the ensuing political and religious fallout. While much of the evidence for pollution in Roman religion emphasises the importance of physical purity, Cicero arguments repeatedly focused on issues of moral purity and the ‘unclean’ private lives of his opponents, revealing an additional layer within the discourse surrounding religious pollution, and one which Cicero expected would have traction with his contemporary audiences. (Show less)

Herodotus’ Histories (fifth century BCE) display some key stories for the study of homicide, vengeance, pollution and purification in ancient Greek mentality. Killing a human life resulted in imbalances in the religious, legal, and social order of a community. This paper intends to explore how historiographical narratives can reveal ideas about the social construction of violence. The main case study will be the story in Book 1 about Croesus, king of Lydia, and his guest Adrastus, who accidentally kills Croesus' son. Here, the inevitability of violence affects individuals as well as interpersonal relationships in a way that seems to make the restoration of justice by rites of purification impossible.
Were rites of purification then operating merely at a symbolic level? An anthropological discourse around blood pollution, society, and purification will allow us to re-examine violent imaginaries and options for their resolution. According to Herodotus, the pre-existing order is not automatically restored after an act of violence. Studies in conflict resolution will help to understand how purification could break cycles of violence. In order to reassess Herodotus’ view on blood pollution, the paper will draw upon Max Gluckman’s theory on narratives of vengeance to re-establish order. (Show less)