Displayed before you is a representation of the Anatolian deity, Cybele. Cybele—embodiment of the fertile earth—was also the goddess of caverns, mountains, and wild beasts, especially lions and bees. Typically, she’s depicted with two lions flanking her throne. Here, however, the two magnificent beasts pull a cart that bears her statue.

The cult of Cybele originated in Phrygia, a region of Anatolia—present-day Turkey. Later on, the cult spread throughout the Roman Empire. In fact, Cybele’s annual spring festival came first on the Roman calendar. Eunuch priests would lead cult followers in orgiastic rites, accompanied by frenzied music. Here, the goddess is depicted with her characteristic attributes—a libation bowl and a tympanon, the large drum used in these orgiastic revelries.

If you take a close look at the faces of the lions, you’ll see where spouts once projected from their open mouths. Perhaps, this bronze group was part of a small Roman fountain. Or, it may have been engineered so that other liquids, steam, or even sound issued from the lions’ mouths during religious ceremonies.

Catullus, one of the most influential Roman poets of the first century B.C., wrote about the cult of Cybele. If you’d like to hear his description of the orgiastic revelry, press the PLAY button now.