Dancing Lares and the Serpent in the Garden, The

By Harriet I. Flower

Book Description

Ancient Rome's most beloved deities were not the grand gods of mythology, but humble household protectors who danced at street corners and blessed family hearths. This groundbreaking exploration reveals how ordinary Romans, including slaves and freedmen, maintained intimate relationships with the lares through daily rituals and neighborhood celebrations that provided meaning, community, and spiritual leadership opportunities often denied elsewhere.

Harriet Flower presents compelling evidence that these cheerful dancing gods served as benevolent guardians of place and journey, watching over homes, neighborhoods, and travelers. Through careful examination of shrines, rituals, and artistic depictions, she illuminates a grassroots spiritual tradition that thrived outside elite religious structures. The book explores the mysterious serpents frequently painted alongside lares in garden scenes, offering fresh insights into their symbolic significance.

Central to this study is Compitalia, a vibrant midwinter festival where communities gathered to honor their local lares. These celebrations became powerful expressions of neighborhood identity and political participation, ultimately influencing major historical events during Rome's tumultuous final decades as a republic.

This richly illustrated work offers modern readers a window into authentic spiritual practice rooted in place, community, and daily devotion. It demonstrates how ordinary people created meaningful sacred relationships within their immediate environments, providing timeless lessons about finding the divine in everyday spaces and fostering spiritual community from the ground up.