This study examines the development of the imperial cult of Rome in Athens during the reigns of Augustus and the Julio-Claudian emperors. Based on ethnographic evidence, Fernando Lozano's study examines the social, political and economic context in which the imperial cult was introduced and accepted by the Athenians. He highlights issues such as the tense relationship between Augustus and Athens, the transformation of Athens into a provincial city and the changes in Athenian institutions, architecture, rituals and festivals, priesthoods and education that Romanisation entailed. Lozano argues that one of the main reasons why the imperial cult was accepted in Athens was that it offered a vehicle for self- and social-promotion for ambitious Athenian citizens. Spanish text, English summary.