Gender is a social construct.
So the way we express – & transgress – gender depends on the society we’re in.
We see this today with the way the different ways transgender people express their identities depending on their culture, but it’s also true throughout history.
The gallae were a group of devotees to the goddess Kybele.
They came from the east, but eventually moved to Rome, where they became one of the most well documented groups of transgender people in the ancient Mediterranean world.
We’ll spend some time understanding the transgender history behind Kybele’s mythology, how important she was in Roman religion, how her very transgender priests behaved, & how the Romans treated them.
Works Cited
Ancient Sources:
►St. Augustine. De Civitate Dei Contra Paganos. Trans. Rev. Marcus Dods, 1871
►Euripides. Bacchae. Trans. David Grene & Richmond Lattimore, 2013
►Firmicus Maternus. De Errore Profanarum Regilionum. Trans. Richard Oster Jr, 1971
►Holy Bible. King James Version, 1611
►Homeric Hymn #14. Trans. Hugh Evelyn-White, 1914
►Livy. Ab Urbe Condita Libri. Trans. Aubrey De Selincourt, 1960
►Lucian. De Dea Syria. Trans. Roy Darcus, 1967
►Lucretius. De Rerum Natura. Trans. R.E. Latham, 1951
►Ovid. Fasti. Trans. Anthony James Boyle, 2004
►Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. Rolfe Humphries, 1951
►Pausanias. Description Of Greece. Trans. Henry Ormerod, 1918
Modern Sources:
►BBC. Dig Reveals Roman Trans* 2002
►Burton, Paul J. The Summoning of the Magna Mater to Rome, 1996
►Graillot, Henri M. Le Culte De Cybèle, Mère Des Dieux. Fontemoing, 1912
►Lucker, K.A – The Gallae: Transgender Priests Of Ancient Greece, Rome, & The Near East
►Olson, Kelly. Dress & The Roman Woman, 2010
►Roller, Lynn E. In Search of God the Mother, 2018
►Roscoe, Will. Priests of the Goddess, 1996
►Turcan, Robert. The Cults Of The Roman Empire, Translated by Antonia Nevill, 1998
►Vermaseren, Martin J. Cybele & Attis, 1977
Credits
All voices by Sophie Edwards
This video was filmed in the territory of the Chippewa of the Thames, the Oneida of the Thames, & the Muncey Delaware nations. I am immensely grateful to the stewards of this land & hope to work toward healing wounds & creating a more equitable world.
All assets are public domain or created by Sophie Edwards, except:
Images:
►Controfacciata di villa medici by Sailko CC 3.0
►Apollo Belvedere by Daryl Mitchell CC2.0
►Prima Porta Augustus by Michal Osmenda CC2.0
►Statue of Mithras by Jade Koekoe CC4.0
►Statue of a Seated Cybele by Marshall Astor CC2.0
►Mapa do Imperio Aquemenida by Unknown CC3.0
►Alexander’s route by RNRCTG CC4.0
►Pergamum 188BCE by Munion CC4.0
►Roman Empire Under Augustus by Cristiano64 CC4.0
►Western & Eastern Roman Empire & Map of Minoan Crete by Jan van der Crabben CC4.0
►Ottoman Empire in 1683 by Chamboz CC4.0
►Map of turkey by Thomas Steiner CC2.5
►Bust of Attis by Carole Raddato CC2.0
►Landkarte der Troas by D Bachmann CC3.0
►Phrygian statue of Agdistis by Nevit Dilmen CC3.0
►Sebasteion by F. Tronchin CC2.5 Aeneae Exsilia by QuartierLatin1968
►CC3.0 Toga Statue Of A Roman Dignitary by Osama SM Amin CC4.0
►Seated Statue Of Livia Drusilla by Angel M Felicisimo CC4.0
Music:
►Exhale, Lazy Afternoon, & Winter Morning by Purrple Cat | https://purrplecat.com CC3.0
►Rain Book And Cup Of Tea, Downtown Walk, & Please Don’t Forget Me by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com CC4.0
►Celestia by Ghostrifter Official | https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-official CC3.0
►Mood by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ CC3.0
►Smooth Morning by Le Gang | https://soundcloud.com/thisislegang CC3.0
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Silent film footage used:
►Agrippina, dir. Enrico Guazzoni 1911
►Cabiria, dir. Giovanni Pastrone 1914
►La Caduta di Troia, dir. Giovanni Pastrone & Romano Borgnetto 1910
►Cleopatra, dir. Charles Gaskill 1912
►Messalina, dir. Enrico Guazzoni 1924
►L’Orgie Romaine, dir. Louis Feuillade 1911
►Vie et Passion du Christ, dir. Lucien Nonguet 1903
Licenses: https://creativecommons.org/
Star Trek images are the property of ViacomCBS & have been used without permission as allowed under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. No copyright infringement is intended.