Ancient Roman Religion

Romans, like many ancient civilizations, just as the Greeks and the Egyptians, they worshipped many different gods. Nowadays that is called “polytheism” while believing in one god is called “monotheism”.

The presence of Greeks on the Italian peninsula from the beginning of the historical period influenced Roman culture, introducing some religious practices that became fundamental. Romans looked to borrow Greek mythology and identified their traditional gods with Greek gods(interpretatiograeca). Near the Greeks, the Etruscan religion was a major influence on the Romans, especially on the practice of Augury.

The twelve Greek gods that were identified with traditional Roman gods: Zeus-Jupiter(god of the sky) Hera-Juno(the protector and special counselor of the state) Apollo-Apollo(God of Sun) Athena-Minerva(Goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom) Hermes-Mercury(God of financial gain) Aphrodite-Venus(Goddess of love, beauty, desire) Poseidon-Neptune(God of the seas) Artemis-Diana(Goddess of the hunt, wild animals) Hephaestus-Vulcan(God of fire, metalworking, and the forge) Ares-Mars(Pater of the people, God of War) Hades-Pluto(God of the Dead, the Underworld, Subterranean Regions) Demeter-Ceres(Goddess of agriculture)

*(Left side) Greek-Roman (Right side)

Romans always depicted their gods as human beings and viewed them as superhumans, immortal forces that controlled particular spheres of nature. They did not have just male gods, they also believed in female gods. The most important female gods were: Venus, Ceres, Diana, Juno, and Minerva.

For the Roman residents, religion was a part of daily life. Each home had a household shrine where people prayed to their household deities. The family made offerings of food and drink to the gods, and prayed for protection.

Women, children, and also slaves all participated in a range of religious activities. There were public rituals that could be conducted only by women. If this weren’t enough, women also formed what is perhaps Rome’s most famous priesthood, the Vestals, whose biggest role was to keep the sacred fire alive.

It is, let’s say natural that at the time Christianity was non-acceptable. It was something new and totally different. In the first centuries AD, lots of Christians were persecuted and punished, often with death. The biggest persecutions were at the time of Emperor Nero, who after the big fire of Rome in 64AD rounded up Christians and ordered to kill them. Why did Roman people not accept them? Pagans were probably the angriest because of the Christians refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods. This was an insult to the gods and potentially endangered the empire.

The turning point for early Christianity was when Constantine the Great converted himself to Christianity and issued in 313AD the Edict of Milan which was an agreement to treat Christian with benevolence.