The Ancient Roman Afterlife

[A] groundbreaking monograph...It will be an invaluable resource for scholars of religion, funerary practice and afterlife in ancient Rome and more generally...King aims to use his model of variability in Roman belief to show the cult of the dead as inclusive of all Romans, living and deceased. Through extensive literary evidence and select cross-cultural comparisons, he largely succeeds. This stands to become a foundational text.

~Antiquity

[The Ancient Roman Afterlife] makes essential reading, not only for specialists in religion or funerary studies, but for all Romanists and anyone with an interest in Roman culture...Its implications are far-reaching, and its conclusions cannot be ignored. It should generate discussion and debate well beyond the field of funerary studies.

~Journal of Roman Studies

[An] excellent monograph…This book is absolutely essential reading for anyone working on ancient afterlife belief or on Roman funerary custom and the cult of the dead...A truly excellent piece of scholarship.

~The Classical Review

King presents many attractive impressions of Roman society in his study...King’s major thesis – that Romans regarded their dead as gods, thought about them, communicated with them, attended to them, and intended to join them – is conclusively presented.

~Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Within an ambiance that has vigorously challenged even the ability to talk about 'religion' in the Roman world, King's work is a breath of fresh air that offers sober analyses of concepts that usually go without further elaboration in studies dealing with Roman religious ideas: gods, afterlife, belief, and ancestors. In this respect, I find King's work to be an irreplaceable piece of scholarship for all interested in Roman religion. Highly recommended.

~Religious Studies Review