Sources

Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A History

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A History." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/religions-of-rome-volume-1-a-history.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A History. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/religions-of-rome-volume-1-a-history

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-religions-of-rome-volume-1-a-history,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A History},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/religions-of-rome-volume-1-a-history},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Mary Beard, John North and Simon Price wrote this history from the physical and epigraphic record of Roman public cult, priesthoods and festivals alongside the literary sources, with a companion volume that publishes the primary texts themselves so a reader can check a claim against the original document rather than take the authors' summary alone. That paired sourcebook is a genuine transparency measure, not a claim resting on where the set was published. This record has not independently traced a documented history of scholarly disagreement with the authors' specific readings. Use it for established historical facts about Roman religious practice and institutions across its full span from the earliest period through late antiquity.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

A standard academic history of Roman religion from a university press, built from the physical and epigraphic record of Roman cult, priesthoods and festivals alongside a companion volume of primary texts.

Notes

Standard academic history of Roman religion from the earliest period through late antiquity, covering public cult, priesthoods, festivals and the religion's political and social role, with a companion sourcebook volume of texts. Use for established historical facts about Roman religious practice and institutions.

Citation

Author

Mary Beard, John North and Simon Price

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Publication Year

1998

URL

https://archive.org/details/religionsofrome0001bear

Source Type

academic monograph

Claims Backed By This Source (732 claims)

This source backs 732 claims across the atlas. As facts: 488 well-attested, 9 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 120 holds, 4 connected. Plus 111 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Deities, 213 claims: 130 well-attested, 3 scholarly debate, 38 holds, 42 general references.
Articles, 115 claims: 98 well-attested, 2 holds, 3 connected, 12 general references.
Rituals, 87 claims: 63 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 14 holds, 9 general references.
Hymns & Liturgical Texts, 38 claims: 27 well-attested, 8 holds, 3 general references.
Holidays & Festivals, 36 claims: 27 well-attested, 5 holds, 4 general references.
Beliefs & Restrictions, 35 claims: 21 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate, 7 holds, 5 general references.
Religious Roles & Titles, 33 claims: 12 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate, 15 holds, 4 general references.
Sacred Sites, 25 claims: 17 well-attested, 4 holds, 4 general references.
Calendars, 16 claims: 13 well-attested, 1 holds, 2 general references.
Artifacts & Relics, 15 claims: 6 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 5 holds, 3 general references.
Cities, 13 claims: 4 well-attested, 8 holds, 1 general references.
Cultures, 13 claims: 6 well-attested, 5 holds, 2 general references.
Religious Symbols, 11 claims: 8 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
Observance Rules, 8 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 connected, 1 general references.
Religions, 8 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 general references.
Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.
Religious Offices, 7 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Figures, 6 claims: 3 well-attested, 1 holds, 2 general references.
Prayers, 6 claims: 4 well-attested, 2 general references.
Religious Dress & Vestments, 6 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 general references.
Sacred Architecture, 6 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 general references.
Organizations, 5 claims: 4 well-attested, 1 general references.
Bodies of Water, 4 claims: 3 well-attested, 1 general references.
Empires & Polities, 4 claims: 3 well-attested, 1 general references.
Regions, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 2 general references.
Disciplines, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Historical Figures, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Realms, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Religious Events, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Subcategories, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.