{"product_id":"2940017168103","title":"An introduction to the history of life assurance","description":"Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.\u003cbr\u003eThis is an OCR edition with typos.\u003cbr\u003eExcerpt from book:\u003cbr\u003ePART I THE GILD-SYSTEM chapter{Section 4CHAPTER II SOME ASPECTS OF THE ROMAN COLLEGIA It is not difficult to account for the existence of the Roman Collegia. The same sense of the need for union which to-day joins men together by artificial bonds, operating in the sphere of social wants, called these societies into being in the early days in Rome. Organised for the accomplishment of divergent mutual purposes, they had yet a common distinguishing mark in the religious element which pervaded all of them to a greater or lesser degree, particularly during the Republic, whether they were associations of priests, of artisans, or of groups of neighbours.1 Each college had its patron god to whose honour the society was dedicated, and to whom sacrifices were offered and feasts held. This feature is still observable under the Empire, but now the sphere of the Collegia has broadened, and whilst they do not lose their religious colouring, the purely devotional element is weakened2 and new aims begin to be served. Prominent among these, and the one which calls for our special consideration here, is that of providing a fitting burial for the members. 3 1 Below, Collegia, p. 630 ; Kornemann, Collegium, pp. 385, 401 ; Schiller and Voigt, Die Romischen Slaatsaltertiimer, p. 302. 3 Below, ibid., p. 630. 3 Or cremation, as the case might be : see Merkel, Collegia, p. 849. It is well to bear in mind that this was no abandonment of the religious standpoint, since in these days the superstition prevailed that only those for whom the last rites had been performed in strict accordance with the rules could hope for repose and happiness after death,1 and it is probable therefore that even the earliest of the colleges included this object among their other religious activities.2 But the...","brand":"London : P.S. King \u0026 Son","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47102014259440,"sku":"2940017168103","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940017168103","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}