Date of Award:
5-2026
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Arts (MA)
Department:
History
Committee Chair(s)
Mark Damen
Committee
Mark Damen
Committee
Patrick Mason
Committee
Frances Titchener
Committee
Seth Jeppesen
Abstract
This thesis reinteprets C. Valerius Catullus’ poem 63, or the Attis poem, named after its primary protagonist. Written in the mid-50’s BCE, this poem is a unique reflection of foreign cults and religion, gendered roles, social responsibility, and changing masculine values in late Republican Rome prior to the turmoil of the Civil Wars (40’s BCE) and the transition into Empire (20’s BCE). This thesis attempts to reach beyond the specialized Catullan scholar and towards those with an interest in Roman religion more generally and indeed its intersections with foreign cults and deities throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. In this thesis I analyze the cult of Magna Mater at one brief moment in time through the lens of a Roman poet and his anticipated Roman reader.
I propose an alternative reading of the poem’s implicit message as it is understood by the vast majority of classical scholars. I argue that Attis, far from being a submissive, pitiable figure, embodies – both to us and the ancient audience – four innovative perspectives on life in Catullus’ day: a unique inversion of the traditional Cybele/Attis myth, an empowered version of masculinity, an affirmation of the value found within cultic communities, and a realistic human experience with the divine. These four perspectives, in conjunction with close literary analysis, elucidate the Roman cultural standards which make the Attis poem appear as a radical piece of social observation.
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Recommended Citation
Pitcher, Evyn, "Catullus 63: The Evolution of Roman Society and Religion" (2026). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 770.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd2023/770
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