Roman Mythology

by Stewart Perowne

Discusses the origins and development of Roman religion, its close ties with Roman history, and its ultimate capitulation to Christianity.

Genres: Mythology, History, Nonfiction, Italy, Ancient History, Roman

144 pages, Library Binding

First published June 1, 1969

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is a cross between a lavishly-illustrated coffee table book (small table) and a detailed study of Roman religion. It's mistitled; there is very little actually mythology in it. What it is, is an account of Rome's religions from its founding through the adoption of Christianity as the official way to go. Beginning as a small community on some hills near the Tiber and growing to the empire we all know and love, Rome admitted, adopted, and adapted the religions of the peoples it encountered (and conquered). The book covers the early Roman, Etruscan, and Italian practices, goes on to the addition of the Greek gods, then the Greek philosophies of Epicureanism and Stoicism, then the Egyptians, Jews, and Asians (Mithras), and finally Christianity. The author pays some special attention to Cicero, Horace, and Virgil as having great influence. I confess much of the philosophical discussion escaped me. It's an interesting read as an introduction, not too detailed. I didn't catch any hints of any prejudices of the author's. By now, the book, released in the 70s, is long out of print and there're likely accounts more detailed and up to date.

[Nima Kohandani · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتابی جامع و خوب

بیشتر نیمه‌ی اولش به کارم اومد و نیمه‌ی دومش رو صرفاً جهت اطلاعات عمومی مطالعه کردم

و چندان هم به اساطیر مربوط نبود نیمه دوم

[Rebecca Lien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very helpful for a report I had written but the reading was definitely dry. This is a research book and was not a book I would recommend anyone to just sit and read unless they enjoy mythology a lot!

Tarot Card- Four of Swords, Sasuraibito - Enlightening and frustrating

[William Razavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread this one out of curiosity. Now I'd really like to try something more recent that covers the same material.
This would be more properly titled Roman Religion and it covers the evolution of that religion in stages from primitive animism (speculative) to the non-anthropomorphic personifications of what we might think of as "the old Roman religion" which even at a relatively early date was coming into contact with other cults (Apollo, Castor and Pollux, Heracles) that were assimilated into the Roman religion which then culminated in what we Perowne posits as a Greco-Roman religion/mythology once the Romans completed the assimilation of their native gods with the more anthropomorphic Greek ones. The fit wasn't always perfect.
Then we get to the crux of how Roman religion was lacking in spiritual satisfaction. Perowne digresses to talk about Greek philosophy as a point of searching for meaning that led to Epicurian and Stoic religion in Rome and then takes us through the later Roman search for more charismatic religion through Dionysus and Isis (and other Eastern religions that Perowne really finds distateful and gaudy). And finally to the influence of Judaism, Mithraism, and the last conflict of the monotheism of the Sol Invictus cult and Christianity.
Perowne's voice is editorial (and judgy). He sees Roman religion as a progression and then a regression and then a journey toward the apotheosis (literally) of Christianity tempered by the rationality that comes from Western Philosophy (and its Greek origins).
The chapter on the cult of Imperial divinity could do with a more dispassionate look than Perowne can muster.
The result is a text that has a lot of great info but which is quite dated. Sophisticated in places, but dated.
The illustrations though, are really great so it's worth looking into this book for that. And I'll report back if I find something more recent (surely there has to be a good one) that covers this ground in a better way without losing the scholarly content this book has.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is clearly a bit out of date in terms of political correctness in places - Perowne refers to some practices as the acts of "savages" (meaning, brown people) but the book is FULL of photographs of Roman painting, mosaics, statues, etc. that prove to be more illustrative than the text.

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, clearly written tome on the history of the Roman myths, particularly how it differed from the Greeks at its inception and how the process of absorption occurred. It shows the way the religion continued to develop until the Empire's turn to Christianity.

[Heather Domin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up a copy of this for $1 at a school library sale; the text is extremely dated, but the photographs make up for it.

[Augustus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting information.
Unfortunately he is prejudiced towards monotheistic religions. A history book really should avoid making value judgements on these things.