Roman Religion

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, 2000 - 99 pages
The last forty years have brought about a transformation in the understanding of pagan Roman religion, rescuing it from the margins of the discipline and restoring its rituals and rhythms to their place at the centre of Roman life and literature. This book provides an up-to-date account of the religious history of Rome starting from its mythical origins, describing its character and development through the later Republican centuries and assessing the response of pagans to the coming of new religious forms during the centuries of Roman imperial rule. It places great emphasis on the fundamental difference between modern ideas of what a religion ought to be and the realities of ancient life. The book is designed to be accessible to all those approaching the subject for the first time, whether their interest is in the classical world or in comparing its religious forms with those of other times and places.
 

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About the author (2000)

John North studied at Oxford in the 1950's and wrote a thesis there under the supervision of Stefan Weinstock on the politics and religion of Rome in the middle Republican period. He came to University College London in 1963 and as an assistant lecturer and has taught in the History Department there ever since, becoming a Professor of History in 1992. He as published articles and edited books on many aspects of the religious history of the Romans and is the author, together with Mary Beard and Simon Price, of "Religions of Rome" (Cambridge, 1998).

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