Religions of Rome Paperback – Illustrated, 9 July 1998

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.