Uncovering Roman Mythology: A Beginner's Guide Into The World of Roman Gods and Goddesses, Enchanting Myths and Mythical Creatures (Ancient History Books) Paperback – November 12, 2023

This is a good read for any student of history. It is described by the author quite accurately in the Introduction as an overview of Roman myth. Russo delves swiftly and descriptively into the attributes of Roman gods, goddesses and the mortals they interact with over one of the longest spans of continuous empire the planet has experienced. The book is a series of easily understood thumbnail sketches of the deities involvements and reactions to events of leadership, empire, war, jealousy, revenge, betrayal, love, failure and all the other intricacies of the human condition.Myth is very often the entertaining and memorable result of trying to explain the unexplainable. The blending of Greek and Roman history, culture and myth-making over so many centuries resembles an ongoing experiment in a single petri dish. What starts out as a few gods and situations is constantly being added to as the Roman-Greco civilization evolved and grew in complexity. There was always more to explain about human behavior and motivation, so the dizzying number of participating deities and mortals grew exponentially. That is the text.The subtext involves the why of all this explaining. Part of it is to stabilize the culture of Rome and pass it on to future generations. Part of it is propaganda exploited by opportunistic influencers and leadership who find leverage in the stories of who a people are from the stories they tell about their history and identity.We seem to be experiencing this condition currently as a species. What do we value? How do we want to live? For example in our own culture, what does "American exceptionalism" actually mean and what myths are used to illustrate the concept?Russo chooses not to speculate about these questions, but the book he has written serves nicely as a template to illuminate how a successful society over a long period of time rises and falls with the belief systems it develops about itself. A good and thoughtful read!

As a guid for uncovering Roman Mythology, this is a well-organized book that is easy to follow. Complete with a Glossay and an extensive reference list, this is a great book for young reader to get a quick introduction to Roman Mythology. The book even took the time to show the connection from Greece to Rome since these are mythologies I have commonly associated with many similarities.

The book is a fairly comprehensive resource on the subject of Roman gods and one I will most likely refer to regularly. It was hard to read in one sitting, as it reads like an encyclopedia. I particularly like the way he refutes the common misconception that the Roman gods were merely Greek ones by a different name. A valuable resource.

I enjoyed reading this book about Roman mythology. I never knew it was so closely tied to Greek mythology but yet so different. There are so many gods and creatures. I also enjoyed the stories.

I have always been interested in Roman culture and mythology. The book presents the topic in a clear and concise manner. I found the book full of numerous topics that are not common knowledge. I would highly recommend this book to any reader interested in the Roman Empire.

My son has recently become interested in Greek and Roman mythology. I was fairly familiar with Greek mythology, but not at all with Roman mythology before reading this book. This book was the perfect introduction to Roman mythology. Now my son and I have great conversations about mythology, and if I ever forget one of the stories or one of the gods, the book is an easy reference to return to.

The book provides a history of Roman and the impetus for creating its own myths and legends to differentiate itself from past and surrounding cultures. I've always loved these stories. The versions here seem different from the ones I learned about as younger ages, but for the most part they're the same - stories of heroes, signs from the gods, and triumph.

As a big fan of the Percy Jackson series, which got me hooked into Greek and Roman mythology, this book makes for a very helpful resource on the subject. Its easy to get the Gods and their stories and mythologies confused, so I will be refering back to this book often. The main purpose of the book was to make the case that the Romans didn't just take the greek Gods, change their names and claim them for themselves. The author shows not only the difference in how the Gods were viewed and worshipped in each culture, but the vast amount of Gods and storylines that belonged to Roman mythology alone.