Dr. Strutynski has provided a selection and translation from Georges Dumezil's Mythe et epopee III and Fetes romaines d'ete et d'automne which offer an ingenious solution to one of the most nagging puzzles of early Roman history and religion. Although there is some historical basis for the character of Camillus, Dumezil demonstrates how Camillus belongs to the realm of ancient Indo-European myth which the earliest Roman sources had covered with the veneer of history. A careful analysis of all the evidence exposes Camillus as protege' of the dawn goddess, Mater Matuta, who grants him victories against his enemies whenever the battles occur at daybreak."
Description:
Dr. Strutynski has provided a selection and translation from Georges Dumezil's Mythe et epopee III and Fetes romaines d'ete et d'automne which offer an ingenious solution to one of the most nagging puzzles of early Roman history and religion.
Although there is some historical basis for the character of Camillus, Dumezil demonstrates how Camillus belongs to the realm of ancient Indo-European myth which the earliest Roman sources had covered with the veneer of history. A careful analysis of all the evidence exposes Camillus as protege' of the dawn goddess, Mater Matuta, who grants him victories against his enemies whenever the battles occur at daybreak."