The Religion of Numa And Other Essays on the Religion of Ancient Rome

"The Religion of Numa" by Jesse Benedict Carter is a collection of essays that looks into the religious customs and ideas of ancient Rome, probably written in the early 1900s. The book studies different times in Roman religion, mainly focusing on when outside influences started to change its religious scene. It checks out how important different gods were in Rome's early history. In the beginning, the author talks about Roman religion during the monarchy, noting how it connected to the political system and social setup of that time. Carter explains the common traits of early Roman gods and what they did, saying that people mainly thought of them as showing natural powers instead of being unique characters from myths. The essays also try to explain how Roman religious thoughts slowly changed as they took in new influences. They point out how early kings like Numa and Servius Tullius helped create religious practices and change them to fit the community's evolving social life.