Religions of Rome

So so useful for my dissertation, it's a fantastic source book with a huge range of information. Though it's not too in-depth (If they wrote all they knew about Roman religion it would take far more volumes) it's useful as a reference book for undergraduate essays or as a sort of 'encyclopedia'.

When I read the excellent preceding volume I was marginally disappointed by the limited scope regarding for example Mithraism presumably this was why it became necessary to produce a source book for reference purposes? The reader may find some enjoyment from insightful glimpses into a variety of ancient documents concerning beliefs, practices and historical criticisms. Though do not expect every Roman belief system to be fully represented and there was still a tendency to use cult for example The Cult of Mithras which tended to denote a lesser important religion rather than embracing all religions on an equal footing. If I used the term the cult of Christianity without a doubt I would be vehemently castigated in print by certain sections of the readership. Certainly both volumes 1 and 2 have a strong appeal to the Theologian, Historian and perhaps to a lesser extent Archaeological students of Rome. There is however nothing to stop readers without either an academic interest or having had higher education from gaining enjoyment from reading either of these volumes. Though admittedly you would need to be interested in the subject or aspects of it to start with.

A wide range of sources that really covers the subject. The layout could be improved upon slightly and it would be nice to have a bit more commentary on some of the larger sources but it does the trick. Very helpful if you just need to look something up.

as shown

Mary Beard does everything well in connection with her obvious passion for Roman History and this book is no exception. She and her colleagues have produced a book full of learning and insights into the beliefs and practices of so long ago

For those of you who are interested in Roman religions and ancient documents, this is a worthwhile purchase. I appreciate the speed with which it was delivered and the perfect condition of the book.

This book (volume 2 of a 2 volume work) is an excellent selection of passages writen by Romans and their contemporaries about Romans and their religions. Each translation is preceded by a short description of the context of the passage, and references. Included are paragraphs from books, quotes from lost works, inscriptions from monuments, publicly posted legal announcements, and grafitti. It was a breath of fresh air for me, since the contemporary source material in this subject is so sparse that most books on ancient religion are a doubtful parade of their authors' opinions. And although the passages from ancient writers are laden with their opinions, with the help of the editors of 'Religions of Rome, vol II' it's obvious and once exposed, revealing.

Unfortunately, my reading assignments were given by page of the physical text. I found it impossible to find these passages by page number in the e-book.