Debauchery of the Roman Empire

Orgies, contrary to popular belief, were more of a religious ceremony than a purely carnal one. Orgies were part of the Cult of Bacchus, known in the Greek pantheon as Dionysius. Their focus was to connect with the god of wine by being carnal rather than just being carnal for carnality's sake. This practice stayed the same when the Roman Republic conquered Greece in 146 BCE, when the Cult of Dionysius gained much more followers amongst the Romans, as many other cults did. The orgies were more spiritual than people make them out to be, and many wealthy Romans were part of the Cult of Dionysius. At some point in history Christianity was a small sect. But the promise of salvation and eternal life for everyone was an attractive alternative to Roman religions, which lead to 313 AD, when the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which accepted Christianity. As we look back to history from plenty of Christian lenses such as history books and documentaries on TV, it makes sense to believe that every Roman orgy was a debauchery and mindless depravity, but it wasn't like that. Some of these religious ceremonies initially took place at night, possibly 2-3 times per year. Probably in coincidence with Spring, Summer Solstice, that sort of thing. By the time they became a scandalous affair they were more like rave events which took place 4-5 times or more a month! So perhaps it ended up being like that lol. There were several other instances of sexual practice linked to religion which in many ways can be related to the more ancient practice of ritual intercourse between king and priestess to ensure fertility of the land. At the Roman city of Paestum a brothel has been found annexed to a temple of Venus which makes you wonder what was going on. | 4800 x 3450