The House of Kybele and the last pagans of Aphrodisias

Abstract From the later fourth century a.d ., public veneration of pagan gods was illegal. Worship of the old gods had to move to private settings. The article presents results from recent excavations in the House of Kybele at Aphrodisias that provide the clearest archaeological evidence so far identified for the continuation of private pagan cult in Late Antiquity and for some of its particular characteristics. Excavation in 2024–25 exposed an elaborate underground complex, in a private part of the house, equipped with surrounding tunnels, pagan cult paraphernalia and a number of small marble figures of Kybele and other gods — iconic, aniconic and of high quality. It is striking that the complex was still in operation in the early seventh century. The exceptional quality of the archaeological evidence and its secure chronology make it possible to examine not only the physical setting of an extensive residential pagan complex, but also some of the ritual practices carried out within it over the course of three centuries, from the early fourth to the early seventh century a.d .