The Romans And Their Gods

Description

For over 1000 years, Roman religion satisfied the spiritual needs of a wide range of peoples througout the empire, because it 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 study of Roman religious life between 80 BC and AD 69, the author shows how intimately involved the Roman gods were with human activities. Drawing widely on original material he tells 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, were paramount.

R.M. Ogilvie, Headmaster of Tonbridge from 1970 to 1975, was Professor of Humanities at the University of St Andrews until his death in 1981, at the age of 49.