J. B. Rives is Kenan Eminent Professor of Classics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His previous books include Religion in the Roman World, Tacitus: Germania (as translator and editor), and Flavius Josephus and Flavian Rome (as coeditor).
Animal Sacrifice in the Roman Empire takes its place as the most important study yet of animal sacrifice, its practices and politics, through the centuries and vicissitudes of the Roman empire. The book provides lucid and theoretically-informed explanations of sacrifice in the cultural lives of Greek and Roman cities as well as the best interpretation yet of the Edict of the emperor Decius, which many Christians took as deliberate persecution. The book should be required reading for any course in Roman history, the rise of Christianity, or the world of ancient Judaism. * David Frankfurter, Boston University * In this convincing and well-written book, James Rives details how animal sacrifice maintained its essential role in ancient Roman society for centuries and how, as that role evolved, the ritual became a flashpoint in the competition between pagan and Christian authorities. * Celia Schultz, University of Michigan *