Wolves of Rome : : The Lupercalia from Roman and Comparative Perspectives / / Krešimir Vuković.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter DG Plus DeG Package 2023 Part 1
• VerfasserIn: Vuković, Krešimir ,
• Place / Publishing House: München ;, Wien : : De Gruyter Oldenbourg, , [2022]; ©2023
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Series: Transregional Practices of Power , 2
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (XVI, 320 p.)

The Roman foundation myth has been the subject of classical scholarship for centuries. But much in the story of Romulus and Remus remains unexplained. This is the first English language book-length study of the Lupercalia, a religious festival central to understanding both the Roman foundation myth and the history of Rome. The festival of the Lupercalia was a male initiation ritual and shares a number of traits with similar rituals across the world. The agonistic elements in the story of Romulus and Remus and the Lupercalia can be compared to a number of Vedic rituals and traced back to a common Indo-European prehistory. The Lupercalia celebration remained a central annual event throughout the history of Rome and reflected political and social life in the city. Caesar used it to stage a refusal of kingship and Augustus restored its initiatory aspect, which continued in the period of the Empire. It survived all attempts of Christian prohibition to appear in the form of a carnival that criticized the pope in the late 5th century. In sum, the book offers a new interpretation of the Roman foundation myth and the Lupercalia. It follows the transformation of a unique ritual from its Indo-European roots through Roman history to late antiquity.

The study is a fresh interpretation of the Roman foundation myth and one of the most important Roman festivals – the Lupercalia, an annual celebration of youth and sexuality by Roman men and women. Written with clarity and force the book spans the whole of Roman history and takes the Lupercalia back to its Indo-European roots by presenting clear parallels between Roman and Indian traditions.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Preface -- Contents -- List of Tables -- List of Illustrations -- List of Abbreviations -- 0 Introduction -- 1 Caesar and the Lupercalia -- 2 Rites of Passage -- 3 Liminal Times and Spaces -- 4 Young Men and Wild Ideas: Indo-European Studies, Wolves, and Civilisation -- 5 Youthbands, Migrants, and Wolves -- 6 The Savage Gods -- 7 Beyond Nature and Culture: Analogies with the Non-Human -- 8 The Long Republican Period: Warbands, Equestrians, and the Fabian gens -- 9 Conclusion -- Wolves of Rome Bibliography -- Index