Who are the principal foreign deities honoured in Roman religion?
It should be noted that although these deities may have foreign origins, many were Hellenized and/or Romanized to a degree. Bacchus: The Greek Dionysus, god of vegetation, wine, drama and afterlife mysteries. The riotous Bacchic celebrations lead to an infamous decree by the Senate restricting the cult’s activities. Isis and Serapis: Greco-Egyptian mystery deities who were worshiped as saviours from Fate, as well as deities of fertility and healing. Jupiter Dolichenus: An axe wielding Romano-Syrian deity worshiped mostly by soldiers of Oriental extraction. Magna Mater: A Phrygian goddess of mountaintops, nature and fertility who was worshiped with orgiastic rites by eunuch priests. She was called Cybele by the Greeks. Mithras: A solar and astrological god, possibly of Indo-Iranian origins, whose mysteries were celebrated by small groups (composed mostly of Romans soldiers). Sol Invictus: A syncretic Greco-Roman and Oriental solar deity, who was a patron of emperors from Aurelian to Con
