Rome's religious history: Livy, Tacitus, and Ammianus on their gods

This book explores the way in which three ancient historians, writing in Latin, embedded the gods into their accounts of the past. Although previous scholarship has generally portrayed these writers as somewhat dismissive of traditional Roman religion, it is argued here that Livy, Tacitus and Ammian...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Davies, Jason P. (Author)
Format: Electronic Book
Language:English
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WorldCat: WorldCat
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2004.
In:Year: 2004
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Livy 59 BC-17 / Gods
B Tacitus, Cornelius 55-120
B Ammianus, Marcellinus 330-395
Further subjects:B Tacitus, Cornelius ; Historiae
B Livy ; Ab urbe condita
B Tacitus, Cornelius Annales
B Ammianus Marcellinus Rerum gestarum libri
B Ammianus Marcellinus ; Rerum gestarum libri
B Livy Ab urbe condita
B Tacitus, Cornelius ; Annales
B Tacitus, Cornelius Historiae
B Rome ; Religion
B Rome Religion
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Erscheint auch als: 9780521834827
Description
Summary:This book explores the way in which three ancient historians, writing in Latin, embedded the gods into their accounts of the past. Although previous scholarship has generally portrayed these writers as somewhat dismissive of traditional Roman religion, it is argued here that Livy, Tacitus and Ammianus saw themselves as being very close to the centre of those traditions. The gods are presented as a potent historical force, and a close reading of the historians' texts easily bears out this conclusion. Their treatment of the gods is not limited to portraying the role and power of the divine in the unfolding of the past: equally prominent is the negotiation with the reader concerning what constituted a 'proper' religious system. Priests and other religious experts function as an index of the decline (or restoration) of Rome and each writer formulates a sophisticated position on the practical and social aspects of Roman religion.
Introduction -- Livy and the invention of Roman religion -- Gods and men in Livy -- Tacitus and the restoration of Rome -- Ammianus and a final settlement -- Conclusions
Item Description:Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015)
ISBN:0511552475
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511552472