"This is a vivid account of what their gods meant to the Romans from archaic times to late antiquity, and an exploration of the rites and rituals connected with them. After an extensive introduction into the nature of classical religion, the book is divided into three main parts: religions of the family and land; religions of the city; and religions of the empire. The book ends with the rise and impact of Christianity.".

"For the Romans, as the author shows, religion was less a question of belief than a form of insurance. The gods were valued according to the degree of protection they afforded against natural hazards and occult powers. They were a crucial source of tactical information in time of war and their approval was vital to the success of agriculture, marriage and childbirth. Appeasing the gods and enlisting their help involved ritual and sacrifice which required the arcane knowledge of the priesthood.

Because there were so many gods, it might be hard to know which one to invoke and perilous to get it wrong. There was nothing more complicated than a Roman sacrifice or more precise than the preparation of the meal offered to the god. The slightist infringement of the priestly recipe would spoil the feast and might jeopardize the affairs of Rome itself.".

"Robert Turcan shows that Roman attitudes towards the gods continued to be pragmatic and opportunistic throughout the millennium covered by the book. Useful gods discovered among conquered peoples of the Empire were adopted without rejecting any from the old pantheon. Traditional worship remained strong long after the emperors converted to Christianity, and many of the early Roman Christians maintained a tactful respect for older deities.".

"Up-to-date in its archaeological and epigraphic evidence, and drawing extensively on a wide range of relevant literary material, this book is ideally suited for undergraduate courses in the history of Rome and its religions. Its urbane style and lightly worn scholarship will broaden its appeal to the large number of non-academic readers with a serious interest in the classical world."--BOOK JACKET.