How Rome’s religion shaped its history, from early gods to a sweeping imperial faith.
This book surveys five key periods in Roman religion, showing how social change, contact with Greece, and new ideas transformed belief over time. It illuminates how ancient Rome built its religious world from a collection of powerful, non‑mythic deities into a vibrant system that influenced daily life and politics.
The author blends history, anthropology, and philology to trace the roots of Roman worship, explaining why many early gods were seen as powers rather than persons. It also explains the rise of the Great Mother cult and the impact of the Sibylline books on Rome’s religious landscape, leading to dramatic shifts in ritual practice and public life.
- Understand how animism and the idea of a deity’s “double” helped shape early Roman worship
- See how Greek influence altered Rome’s gods, rituals, and piety
- Learn how sacred texts and oracles moved Rome from sober ritual to grand, public ceremonies
- Explore the transformation of religion across Rome’s republic and empire
Ideal for readers of Roman history, religious history, and cultural anthropology, this edition offers a clear, thoughtful look at how belief encounters power in ancient Rome.
Jesse Benedict Carter (born June 16, 1872, in New York, New York; died July 20, 1917, in Cervignano del Friuli) was a prominent American classicist of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Carter's life and career were cut short when he died of heatstroke while on an Italian aid mission during World War One.