Roman Mythology: A Traveller's Guide from Troy to Tivoli

Description

All Roads Lead to Rome, as the famous saying goes. The sites and events throughout the ancient world provided Romans with a rich tapestry to weave the stories of their past. Rome itself was a melting pot of peoples from across the Mediterranean and beyond, each bringing their myths and legends of heroes and heroines, gods and goddesses. Whether for aristocrats dressing up for banquet, or bloodthirsty audiences in the amphitheatres thrilled to watch condemned criminals forced to enact the roles of mythological creatures, Roman myths formed the backdrop to the rituals and customs of everyday life. Offering a fresh approach to Roman mythology, each site begins with a brief, evocative description of the location and landscape, followed by its associated myths and stories, as well as any rituals performed there in antiquity. Drawing on the great works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Plutarch, Ovid, Horace and Virgil, and with maps, illustrations and a gazetteer giving practical information about the sites today, this is a fresh look at a subject of great fascination.

David Stuttard taught Classics for eleven years in Edinburgh, St Andrews and York, and has written numerous books on the Classical world including Greek Mythology: A Traveller's Guide from Mount Olympus to Troy, A History of Ancient Greece in Fifty Lives and The Romans Who Shaped Britain (with Sam Moorhead), all published by Thames & Hudson. He is the founder of the theatre company Actors of Dionysus and a Fellow of Goodenough College, London.