Religion & Classical Warfare: The Roman Republic

by Matthew Dillon, Christopher Matthew (Other)

Overview

Religion was integral to the conduct of war in the ancient world and the Romans were certainly no exception. No campaign was undertaken, no battle risked, without first making sacrifice to propitiate the appropriate gods (such as Mars, god of War) or consulting oracles and omens to divine their plans. Yet the link between war and religion is an area that has been regularly overlooked by modern scholars examining the conflicts of these times. This volume addresses that omission by drawing together the work of experts from across the globe. The chapters have been carefully structured by the editors so that this wide array of scholarship combines to give a coherent, comprehensive study of the role of religion in the wars of the Roman Republic.

Aspects considered in depth will include: declarations of war; evocatio and taking gods away from enemies; dedications and ceremonies; the cult of the legionary eagle; the role of women in Republican warfare; omens and divination; live burials of people in times of military crisis; and the rituals of the Roman triumph.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399004664
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	05/30/2025
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr Matthew Dillon is Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of New England, New South Wales, Australia. His previous works include The Ancient Greeks in their own Words (2002).

Christopher Matthew has just completed his doctoral thesis on hoplite warfare at MacQuarie University in Sydney, where one of his assessors has said he 'singlehandedly advanced the whole field'. He has also been invited to lecture on the subject at other Australian universities. This book, closely based on his doctoral thesis, will be his first, although he has already had several articles published in academic journals. 'He is currently working on a new translation of Aelian's work on tactics and co-editing (with Dr Matthew Trundle) Beyond the Gates of Fire: New Perspectives on the Battle of Thermopylae, both of which will be published by Pen & Sword.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations ix

Notes on Contributors xxi

List of Figures xxv

Preface xxvii

Chapter 1 Introduction: New Perspectives on Religion and Warfare in the Roman Republic: 509-27 BC Matthew Dillon 1

Chapter 2 Religion and Roman Warfare in the Middle Republic John Serrati 17

Chapter 3 Evocatio: Taking Gods Away from Enemy States and Peoples Matthew Dillon 53

Chapter 4 The Religious Functions of Roman Arms and Armament Brandon R. Olson 104

Chapter 5 The Cult of the Eagles in the Roman Republic Christopher Matthew 129

Chapter 6 Women, Warfare and Religion in the Roman Republic Lora Holland Goldthwaite 155

Chapter 7 War, Vestal Virgins and Live Burials in the Roman Republic Paul Erdkamp 180

Chapter 8 With the Gods on their Side: Divination and Warfare in the Roman Republic Kim Beerden 216

Chapter 9 Triumphal Transgressions Jeremy Armstrong 254

Index 289

Editorial Reviews

[T]he work presents a very careful edition, in hard cover, with a good number of illustrations that help to better understanding of the contents addressed, as well as a list of abbreviations (very pertinent, given the unusualness of many of the sources consulted) and a complete index, always useful, of names and terms… the result of the volume is overall remarkable, so it can be assumed that the book will become a necessary reference for successive studies on the military and religion in the republican period.

ARYS

"Beginning with an overview of ceremonies surrounding warfare that were an integral part of Roman life, this volume branches into a discussion of evocatio in chapter 3, detailing the act of calling out gods who protect enemies, particularly in cities under siege. The chapter explores this concept throughout the ancient world, not just in the Roman world, and explains how various gods and their physical representations were integrated into Rome as the gods were bribed away from or invited to leave their home cities. There are further discussions on Roman military equipment and standards, including the involvement of religion. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty."

CHOICE, September 2021 Vol. 59 No. 1 - W. J. Rafter