Category Archives: sexual perversion / incest

Barbarian peoples: Caesarius of Nazianzos’ and George the Monk’s collection of extraordinary customs (sixth / ninth centuries CE)

Celts: Diodoros on Galatian origins, “savage” customs and invasions of Italy and Greece (mid-first century BCE)

Eastern and northern peoples: Bardaisan of Edessa’s Book of the Laws of Countries, Pseudo-Clementines, and Origen on astrology and peoples (second-third centuries CE)

Egyptian perspectives: Oracles of the Lamb and the Potter on Greco-Macedonians and other foreigners (third-second centuries BCE)

Egyptians and Canaanites: Wisdom of Solomon on worship of animals and images (first century BCE)

Egyptians, Phrygians, Assyrians and Persians: Firmicus Maternus on impious customs (mid-fourth century CE)

Judean wisdom: Tatian the Assyrian on the priority of Moses’ “barbarian wisdom” (second century CE)

Mediterranean peoples: Sextus Empiricus engages with ethnographic discourses for philosophical aims (second-third centuries CE)

Persian diasporas: Pseudo-Clement, Eusebios, Epiphanios, and Basil on the Magusaeans and their customs (third century CE on)

Persians and peoples in their territory: Strabo on their customs and on bandit peoples (early first century CE)

Persians: Agathias on the divergent customs of Zoroaster’s Magians (sixth century CE and earlier)

Persians: Cattulus’ poem smearing Magians as incestuous (early first century BCE)

Persians: Heresy-hunters on Simon Magus and other Magians (second-third centuries CE)

Persians: Xanthos on the Magians’ supposed incest and on Zoroaster’s date (mid-fifth century BCE)

Romans, Egyptians, Persians, and others: Minucius Felix’s ethnographic defence of the Christian people (early third century CE)

Scythians and other Pontic peoples: Herodotos on the “most ignorant peoples of all” (fifth century BCE)

Taurians, Gauls, and Romans: Lactantius on human sacrifice and other criminal rituals to false gods (early fourth century CE)