...This introductory chapter first sets out the book's main goal, which is to show that the concept of common knowledge has broad explanatory power; that common knowledge generation is an essential part of what public ritual “does”; and that the classic dichotomy between rationality and culture should...

...This book illuminates a previously underappreciated dimension of religion in ancient Rome: the role of priestesses in civic cult. Demonstrating that priestesses had a central place in public rituals and institutions, the book emphasizes the complex, gender-inclusive nature of Roman priesthood...