This book was interesting as it doesn’t support the view of the simple adoption and adapation of the Greek mythology by the Early Roman Empire. The author shows that the Romans actually had their own mythology and didn’t simply use Greek mythology as their own.
The author then goes on to highlight the role of warfare in Roman mythology, by my mind, reading this book, was at the core of Roman mythology. The gods didn’t seem to just sit around drinking wine. There was always a punch up going on. Romans didn’t simply have a god of war, they had several.
The book highlights the integration of warfare in Roman culture, society and politics of the time. When you look at it, Roman History appears to be constantly at war with somebody.
The book covers a lot of key players in Roman mythology. I didn’t realise there were so many Roman war gods. My favourite chapter of the book was around the warlike women in the Roman Epics. It covers the establishment of the myths and how authors of the time promoted their works, sometimes even before they were finished. Claiming they were already classics.
There are a large number of appendices to the book covering some interesting facets to help round out your knowledge. The appendix on latin terms was interesting…
The book has a number of illustration and plates of Roman mythology across history. It is easy to see their importance in history.
A really interesting read for any military historian, as it might give you a different view of the events of the time.
You can buy the book here from Pen and Sword books
Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.