Ancient
Rome.
The ancient Pagans didn't call themselves "Pagans."
For Romans before the fourth century AD "pagus"
was a Latin word meaning "village" or "countryside."
A paganus was a countryman or villager,
the nuance suggesting hick.
 The
meaning of "pagan" as "non-Christian" was
invented by Christians. It happened like this: Christianity's
watershed political success was in the city of Rome, with the conversion
of the emperor Constantine in 312
AD. Constantine and later Christian emperors had unlimited power
to tax, outlaw, regulate and otherwise suppress competing religions—and
they
used it. These powers were strongest in the cities.
In the countryside, away from the bloody swords of Roman suppression,
the old religions hung on. In the villages.
Among the Pagani.
By the late
forth century, Christian church officials used the term "Pagan"
to deride the old pre-Christian faiths, calling them Hick religions.
At  this
"non-Christian ancient religion" meaning of "Pagan"
—without the "hick" nuance—is the one I have
in mind. When you and I talk about Christianity's "Pagan"
origins, we'll be talking about ancient
religion amd civilization in general.
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