This survey of more than 1000 years of religious life in Rome places religion in its full cultural context, between the primitive hamlet of the 8th century BC and the cosmopolitan, multicultural society of the first centuries of the Christian era. The narrative account is structured around a series of broad themes: how to interpret the Romans' own theories of their religious system and its origins; the relationship of religion and the changing politics of Rome; the religious importance of the layout and monuments of the city itself; changing ideas of religious identity and community; and religious innovation and revolution.
