| The Roman historian Livy wrote a vivid description of her arrival in the city. The goddess was shipped up the Tiber accompanied by her cult officials known as the Galli - self-castrated eunuch priests. And when she arrived at the river's bank she was born through the city, passed from hand to hand. The whole of Rome came out to meet her. Incense burners lined the streets and all the Romans prayed that she would enter the city willingly. It seems Rome hasn't changed as much as you might think. Shortly after her arrival, Magna Mater was given a home at the very centre of the city - a temple on the Palatine Hill - and her rituals were incorporated into the official calendar. Three years later, Hannibal was defeated. The story of Magna Mater shows how far Rome had come. It had transformed from a sacred village to a holy city dedicated to a multinational pantheon of deities. |
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