On Roman Religion: Lived Religion and the Individual in Ancient Rome

Provocative reading for anyone interested in Roman culture in the late Republic and early Empire.

Was religious practice in ancient Rome cultic and hostile to individual expression? Or was there, rather, considerable latitude for individual initiative and creativity? Jörg Rüpke, one of the world’s leading authorities on Roman religion, demonstrates in his new book that it was a lived religion with individual appropriations evident at the heart of such rituals as praying, dedicating, making v...