Ovid's Fasti follows the Roman calendar with each book of the poem corresponding to a different month of the calendar. The poem discusses the mythological and historical origins of the various religious observances in each month of the calendar. This selection, which is the OCR-endorsed edition and covers the prescribed selections for the Latin A Level, highlights some key stories showing the interesting intersection of Roman religious practice with historic events and legendary tales. The selection includes the story of Hercules’ enslavement to Omphale as an etiology of Roman religious observances during the Lupercalia. The selection also includes the story of the rape of Lucretia and the subsequent expulsion of Tarquinius as the origin of the festival of Regifugium at the end of February. This text provides an informative introduction, excellent textual notes and vocabulary help, which would all prove invaluable to the secondary school student approaching Ovid's masterful poem.