Poop and pray: on domestic devotion in ancient Greece and Rome

Alexandra Sofroniews Household Gods is a splendid publication on several counts. It is elegantly presented and the illustrations (of objects for the most part in the J. Paul Getty Museum) have been chosen with wit and sensitivity. The real strengths, however, lie in the sparkling text, which reflects the latest research in Greek and Roman religion, a topic that has witnessed substantial change over the past few decades. It used to be thought, for example, that religious activity in ancient Gree