the periodic swearings of loyalty required by the central government. But the con-
cerns of those actions were decidedly locative (cf. J. Smith 1990). That is to say,
like more highly localized civic cults, the cults and rituals of the empire made sense
only within a specific geographic, political, and historical context, and they aimed
to attract and cement the support of the divine in the maintenance of the condi-
tions, institutions, and personalities of the here and now. In that respect, too, the
Roman cults of the Roman empire should be distinguished from Christianity, in ambi-
tion a truly imperialist cult the empire inadvertently bequeathed to the world.
FURTHER READINGPerhaps the best place to start is the wide-ranging chapter on “Roman religion and Roman
empire” in Beard et al. (1998: 1.313 – 63). The differences in perspective between my chapter
and that one should provoke salutary reflection. Gargola (1995) is an exceptionally valuable
study of the pragmatics of republican colonization, with insights throughout into the rituals
involved in the founding of colonies. Next one might turn to one of several studies of the
religious life of particular communities: Rives (1995) and Belayche (2001) concentrate on
colonies; Mitchell (1993: vol. 2), and Woolf (1998: 206 –37) offer regional studies.
Among the separate foci of this chapter, particular emphasis should be given to the colo-
nial and municipal charters, on the one hand, and to the separate information contained in
the so-called leges sacrae, regulations governing specific cults. Rüpke (2006b) studies the colo-
nial charter of Urso; the best essay on the “Romanization” of municipal life in the provinces
is Scheid (1999b). An empire-wide study of cult regulations is lacking. For the monumental
context for Roman and provincial cult practice see Gros (1996a: 122–206).
Exporting Roman Religion 445