The Social Structure of Members of Religious Associations in Italy (1st–3rd Century AD)

Abstract

In this article, I set out to show that the social structure of members of Roman religious associations was more complex than was suggested both by early 20th-century historians and the authors of studies published in the recent decades. Many members, especially officials in those corporations, certainly belonged to the so-called Roman middle class. However, they do not seem to have constituted the majority of college members. Depending on the prestige and role which a given college played in urban life, representatives of the lower classes, including slaves and women, were also accepted among the cultores.