Religion is a particularly useful field within which to study Roman
self-definition, for the Romans considered themselves to be the
most religious of all peoples and ascribed their imperial success
to their religiosity. This study builds on the observation that the
Romans were remarkably open to outside influences to explore how
installing foreign religious elements as part of their own
religious system affected their notions of what it meant to be
Roman. The inclusion of so many foreign elements posed difficulties
for defining a sense of Romanness at the very moment when a
territorial definition was becoming obsolete. Using models drawn
from anthropology, this book demonstrates that Roman religious
activity beginning in the middle Republic (early third century
B.C.E.) contributed to redrawing the boundaries of Romanness. The
methods by which the Romans absorbed cults and priests and their
development of practices in regard to expiations and the
celebration of ludi allowed them to recreate a clear sense of
identity, one that could include the peoples they had conquered.
While this identity faced further challenges during the civil wars
of the Late Republic, the book suggests that Roman openness
remained a vital part of their religious behavior during this time.
Foreign Cults in Rome concludes with a brief look at the reforms of
the first emperor Augustus, whose activity can be understood in
light of Republican activity, and whose actions laid the foundation
for further adaptation under the Empire.
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