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Standing athwart a scholarly tradition that views Roman religion as a ritual practice unburdened by later, Christian notions of belief, Mackay (classics, Occidental College) argues that "belief was crucial ... to just about everything that [one] might care to describe as 'Roman religion'"(p. 3). Part 1, "Theoretical Foundations," comprises five chapters in which Mackay reviews relevant social cognition theories on intentionality, belief, and action and frequently draws attention to Roman authors who illustrate the theories he discusses. Thus, when Romans participated in religious acts, "they were guided by their beliefs and motivated by their emotions and desires" (p. 110). In the longer part 2, "Case Studies," Mackay devotes chapters to Lucretius's discussion of Roman religion in De rerum natura, the formation of children, to Roman religion, Roman prayer, and finally the Roman rite of inauguratio. In each chapter, he demonstrates that belief played a role in the daily practice of Roman religion, or, as he sums up in his final chapter, "collective beliefs are precisely what cause and sustain the effects of rituals" (p. 364). It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of Mackay's book as a statement on ancient Roman religion.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.