Inspiring reverence and blasphemy, combining paternal benignity with sexual violence, transcendent universality with tribal chauvinism, Jupiter represents both the best and the worst of ancient religion. Though often assimilated to Zeus, Jupiter differs from his Greek counterpart as much as Rome differs from Greece: "the god of Rome" conveys both Jupiter's sovereignty over Rome and his symbolic encapsulation of what Rome represents. Understanding this dizzyingly complex figure is crucial not only to the study of Roman religion, but also to the study of ancient Rome more generally. The God of Rome examines Jupiter in Latin poetry's most formative and fruitful period, the reign of the emperor Augustus. As Roman society was transformed from a republic or oligarchy to a de facto monarchy, Jupiter came to play a unique role as the celestial counterpart of the first earthly princeps. While studies of Augustan poetry may glance at Jupiter as an Augustus figure, or Augustus as a Jupiter figure, they rarely explore the poets' portrayal of the god as a character in his own right. This book fills that gap, exploring the god's manifestations in the five major Augustan poets (Virgil, Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid). It provides a fascinating window on a transformative period of history, as well as a comprehensive view of the poets' individual personalities and shifting concerns.

About the Author
Julia Dyson Hejduk is Reverend Jacob Beverly Stiteler Professor of Classics at Baylor University.

Reviews
The book is written with outstanding clarity, and Hejduk has been careful to make it easily accessible to non-specialists. * Sergio Casali, Roma Tre, Religious Studies Review *
A solid contribution to scholarship on Latin literature and also approachable by students of literature and mythology. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. * P. E. Ojennus, Whitworth University, CHOICE *
Readings of specific poems and passages are sensitive and learned, providing numerous new insights about how poets reference and build on themes introduced by others, as with Ovid's Heroides 16-17 deflating Propertius's flattery of Cynthia as being worthy of Jupiter's amour. The argument that the poets tend to move from the philanderer of Greek myth to an embodiment of the march to empire is convincingly developed. A solid contribution to scholarship on Latin literature and also approachable by students of literature and mythology. Highly recommended.... * CHOICE *
This is a comprehensive study of a figure deeply embedded within the artistic, social and political culture of Rome. * David Meban, The Classical Review *
The mode is appealing, the discussion varied, nuanced, and not without surprises * Christopher Whitton, Greece & Rome *
In this magisterial survey of the major Augustan poets, Jupiter emerges as a literary character, complex and multifaceted as crafted by the authors who used him to their own purposes. The God of Rome bristles with insightful interpretations and will be on the desk of every serious student of Latin poetry."-Peter E. Knox, Case Western Reserve University
Hejduk offers an accessible but richly nuanced treatment of Jupiter in all of Augustan poetry: an expert's guided tour offering clear background information and explanations for the beginner, and for scholars new ideas about many poems that arise from her unique new consideration of references to Jupiter in their full literary, social, and religious context."-James J. O'Hara, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
This is a very fine book which will have a broad appeal ranging from gender studies and mythological research to the larger Classical audience and anyone interested in ancient Rome, especially its theological beliefs. * Cliff Cunningham, University of Southern Queensland, Sun News Tuscon *
H. has certainly provided us with a carefully researched study of Jupiter in Augustan poetry. * Elena Giusti, GNOMON 95 *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190607739
Author Julia Hejduk
Format Hardback
Page Count 356
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 635g
Dimensions(mm) 147mm * 239mm * 31mm