A Family of Gods: The Worship of the Imperial Family in the Latin West

2016 | History & Politics

Roman politics and religion were inherently linked as the Romansattempted to explain the world and their place within it. As Romanterritory expanded and power became consolidated into the hands of oneman, people throughout the empire sought to define their relationshipwith the emperor by granting honors to him. This collection of practiceshas been labeled "emperor worship" or "ruler cult," but this tells onlyhalf the story: imperial family members also became an important partof this construction of power and almost half of the individuals deifiedin Rome were wives, sisters, children, and other family members ofthe emperor. A Family of Gods seeks to expand current "ruler cult"discussions by including other deified individuals, and by looking athow communities in the period 44 BCE to 337 CE sought to connectthemselves with the imperial power structure through establishingpriesthoods and cult practices. A Family of Gods focuses on the priests dedicated to the worship of theimperial family in order to contextualize their role in how imperial powerwas perceived in the provincial communities and the ways in whichcommunities chose to employ religious practices.

Special emphasis isgiven to the provinces in Gaul, Spain, and North Africa. This book will interest scholars of Roman imperial cult as well as Romanimperialism, and religious and political history. It focuses on epigraphicevidence but incorporates literary, numismatic, and archaeologicalevidence where applicable.

Gwynaeth McIntyre (Author)