The Romans And Their GodsTo undestand the success of the Romans you must understand their piety. Dionysius of Halicarnassus. For over a thousand years, Roman religion satisfied the spiritual needs of a wide range of peoples throughout the empire, because is offered an intelligent and dignified interpretation of how the world functions. It was a firm, yet tolerant, religion whose adherents committed very few crimes in its name and who were healthily free of neuroses. In this short, perceptive study of Roman religious life between 80 BC and AD 69, Professor Ogilvie shows how intimately involved were the Roman gods with human activities. Drawing widely on original material (all of it quoted in translation), he tells us how the Romans prayed, what happened at a sacrifice, what sort of gods they believed in, and how seriously they took their religion - a religion in which actions, , not dogma, was paramount. |
Contents
The Gods | |
Prayer | |
Sacrifice | |
The Religious Year | |
Private Religion | |
Religion in the Time of Augustus | |
Conclusion | |
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activities Aeneas Aeneid altar ancient animal Apollo Arval Brethren augur Augustan Augustus believed birds calendar called Capitol Catullus celebrated century B.C. ceremony Ceres Christian Cicero co-operation common consul cult death dedicated deity Dionysius of Halicarnassus divine dreams emperor Empire ensure event favour festivals flamen Dialis functions goddess gods Greek happened haruspex haruspices heaven held holiday holy honour Horace idea inscriptions invoked Italy Julius Caesar Juno Jupiter Optimus Maximus late Republic Latin Livy Lucretius magistrate March Mars month nature occasion Odes offered official Ovid pagan Parilia peace performed Pliny pontifex maximus pontifices pray prayer priesthoods priests procession Propertius quindecimviri Quirites religious rex sacrorum ritual Roman religion Rome sacred sacrifice sacrificed Salii Secular Games Senate Servius shrine Sibylline Books signs slaves spirit statue success Suetonius superstition survive Tacitus temple things thought Tiber traditional Valerius Varro Vestal Virgins Virgil whole worship Wrote