This recent addition to the Potsdamer Altertumswissenschaftliche Beiträge (vol. 78) from the Franz Steiner Verlag explores aspects of the dynamic interplay among religion, politics, economics, and social structures in communities mostly at the furthest edges of the Roman Empire. The dialectics of the title are variously defined by the contributors, an international crew of researchers trained in several disciplines (sociology, archaeology, classical studies, religious studies, philosophy). The result is a thought-provoking series of small-scale studies that demonstrate the riches to be gained by considering in concert social structures that are often treated as distinct from one another and by recognizing that what we often describe as static was, in reality, constantly in flux. The volume as a whole is well-written and polished, although Latin is sometimes an issue, e.g., Quiriti (56), auspiciae (65), conubia presented as a singular (66), Metellii (106).

After a brief introduction to the concepts of dialectics by W. Goldstein ("Foreword"), the editors of the volume, F. Mazzilli and D. van der Linde ("Dialectics of Religion and the Roman World: Relations, Inclusivity, and Change"), lay out the three main themes of the volume: relations (by which they mean, among other things, the interaction of opposing elements such as Roman / non-Roman, sacred / profane, society / individuals), inclusivity (here defined as the relationship among religion, politics, and society), and change. The volume is divided into three sections: dialectics in theory, of cult, and in context.

The core of the volume is a series of pointillist studies, scattered across the three sections and all dependent on archaeological and epigraphic evidence, of how religious life in communities at the heart of the Roman Empire (A. Lätzer-Lasar, "The Dialectics of Religious Placemaking: Exploring the Relations between the Different Magna Mater Venerations in Republican and Imperial Rome") and in far-flung provinces - Dalmatia (J. Lulić, "The Dialectics of Structure and Agency in the Study of Religion: A Case for the Cognitive Theory of Religious Change"), the Balkans more generally (N. Silnović, "Keeping One's Voice Down? The Social Function of the Cult of Mithras"), Britain (E. Cousins, "Rituals on the Edge: Dialectics of Religious Expression on the Frontiers of Roman Britain"), Gaul (A. Irvin, "Cult, Community, and Empire: Reconfiguring Gallo-Roman Polytheism, Administration, and Identity"), Syria (F. Mazzilli, "The Pantheon of the Hauran: A Dialectical Approach"), and Phrygia (D. van der Linde, "Zeus and the Emperor at Aizanoi: Landed Property, Power, and Dialectics") - was altered by political and, to a lesser extent, economic concerns over time. One recurrent theme is an interrogation of the traditional scholarly emphasis on interpretatio Romana, the bestowal of Roman names on non-Roman deities. Across the collection, it becomes clear that the process of making a connection between Roman and non-Roman gods was complicated and multifarious, even within a single community. The interaction between local religious beliefs and rituals and the beliefs and rituals that arrived with the Romans was very frequently shaped by politics, economics, and the preferences of individuals and families. There is clearly much more to be said. Given how similar the conclusions and methodologies of these articles are, the near total absence of cross-references is a surprise.

Two contributions draw primarily on literary evidence to address rather different questions. J. Rüpke ("Roman Warfare and the Dialectics of Religion and Politics") very persuasively demonstrates the dialectical relationship between warfare, religion, and politics in Rome. Although the Romans did not go to war for religious reasons, religious actions do help to define who constitutes the army (e.g., by way of sacramentum and lustratio) and what counts as warfare (marked off by rituals performed in the city before the army leaves for the campaign). Rituals can also be instrumental in combat itself. For example, sacrifice and extispicy could be used to stoke the enthusiasm of the troops for the battlefield or, alternatively, be used to justify keeping them in camp. Other rituals, such as evocatio, were the direct result of pledges made in the midst of battle. Still further rituals, such as a supplicatio, performed in the city as an expression of thanksgiving for military success and the triumph held upon the general's victorious return, allowed for the conversion of military prowess into political power. In a few cases, rituals such as that of the fetials and divination could give political agents in the city some limited power over commanders.

G. A. Keddie ("Beyond the 'Den of Robbers': The Dialectics of Sacred and Profane Finances in Early Roman Jerusalem") begins his contribution by acknowledging the long, deleterious history of scholarship that treated Judaism as antithesis, paganism as thesis, and Christianity as synthesis, an important part of which has been interpretations of the "cleansing of the temple" episode, where Jesus throws the moneychangers and dove-sellers out of the Temple court. Keddie proposes a new dialectical reading of the episode not as a conflict between traditional Judaean practices and new Christian ideas, but as a critique of the role of priests in sacred finance, which was not so easily distinguishable from profane commerce in early Roman Jerusalem.

The longest and most curious article in the collection is R. Siebert and D. Byrd's exploration of how Hegelian dialectic can reveal the fundamental logic of the Romans' Weltanschauung (worldview) and their religious praxis ("A Dialectical Approach to the Roman Religion of Utility: The Hinges of History"). The Weltanschauung that Siebert and Byrd explicate is, however, a construction of scholarship that has been increasingly rejected by students of Roman religion over the last forty years. Their position is made clear in the first paragraph, where they describe Roman worship as "a 'quid pro quo' religion, or even a 'do ut des' (I give that you may give)" that cemented the hegemony of patricians and then emperors. Over the course of the article, it is clear that Siebert and Byrd are not engaging with Hegel's depiction of Roman religion as a Hegelian conception, but rather as a historical reality. There is only passing engagement with a very small number of specialist studies; most of the article comprises a close engagement, almost paragraph by paragraph, with Hegel's presentation of Rome in his Philosophy of History, which is oddly absent from the bibliography and is not cited in full in the notes. A reader with a background in Hegel will come away from this article knowing almost nothing about Roman religion as it is currently understood; a reader needing a useful introduction to Hegel will not find it here.

Even so, there is much of value in Dialectics of Religion in the Roman World. The volume brings a fresh approach to some well-worn questions and highlights the religious life of communities that are often marginalized in scholarship.

Celia E. Schultz