The Man in the Roman Street

This book looks at the changing attitudes and beliefs of the Roman people throughout the Empire from the accession of Augustus in 27 B.C. to the death of Theodosius the Great in 395 A.D. Religion, in which 'the human mind found its main activity, ' is treated in depth: its distinctive features, the interplay between the traditions of Greece and Roman and the other religions of the East and West, the 'virtues' or 'powers' existing independently of the gods, and the worship of the Emperor. The influence of the philosophers, the Eastern mysteries, Judaism, and Christianity are also discussed, as are literature, art, history, science, and the quality of life for the individual Roman.