Classics Theses and Dissertations

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Building a God: The Cult of Antinous and Identity in the Eastern Roman Empire
(University of Oregon, 2018-09-06) Jamshidi, Niayesh; Bowditch, Phebe Lowell
This thesis attempts to understand the distribution of Antinous worship in the Roman Empire and why he was worshipped. By examining the written sources and material culture available on Antinous, primary sources both pagan and Christian, and material culture such as the sculptures of Antinous, Antinoopolis and temples dedicated to Antinous, I came to the conclusion that Antinous was worshipped primary in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. The Eastern part of the Roman Empire consisted of people who were of Greek descent. By examining Roman writings against Greek people and culture, I came to the conclusion that there were reasons that people worshipped Antinous. The first was to connect to the imperial center because a Roman emperor established the cult of Antinous. The second was that Antinous was Greek, and because Greeks were seen as inferior by the Roman west, his worship appealed to such people.