Transcript RELIGION IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

RELIGION
IN THE
ROMAN EMPIRE
Religion of the State & Home
Gods & Goddesses
Religion of the State
• State religion looked after the Roman people.
•The Vestal Virgins guarded the holy flame of Rome and
performed other rituals.
•The pontifex maximus was the head of the Roman state
religion - included 4 colleges or organizations that
controlled public worship and rituals.
•Public religious festivals occurred every month.
Roman Religion in the Home
•Women were required to guard and preserve the fire
in the hearth. At the hearth, sacrifices were made to the
gods and the ancestors of a family.
•2 special household gods: Janus, the god of doorways
and beginnings, and Vesta, the goddess of the hearth.
•Household spirits: lares = spirits of the family
ancestors and penates = spirits of the larder (kept the
family fed)
•Births, marriages, and deaths were all celebrated with
special rituals.
Prayer and Sacrifice
• Romans believed they had a personal contract
between the gods and mortals.
•The role of mortals was to worship the gods.
•Prayers accompanied small offerings of food to the
dieties.
•Official, public rituals often involved the sacrifice of
animals.
•Romans did not practice human sacrifice.
JUPITER - King of the Gods
http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/roman/jupiter.htm
Jupiter was king of the Gods. His
weapon was the Thunderbolt
(thunder and lightning). All other
gods were terrified of him, although
he was a little scared of his wife
Juno! Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto
were the three sons of Saturn. They
divided up the world between
themselves. Jupiter took the air,
Neptune had the sea and Pluto ruled
under the earth, the home of the Dead
Jupiter means Father Jove (Father in Latin is "pater"). There was a big
temple in Rome dedicated to Jupiter - Optimus Maximus (which means
Jupiter Best and Greatest). The Romans thought that Jupiter guarded
their city and looked after them.
CERES
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/ceres.html
Ceres was the ancient Latin goddess of vegetation,
whose worship merged completely with that of the
Greek goddess Demeter
JUNO
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/juno.html
Juno was the majestic queen of the heaven and
wife of Jupiter
MERCURY

Vatican Museums, Vatican City
http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/mercury.html
Mercury (Mercurius)
protected merchants
and travelers. He
was portrayed as
the Greek Hermes,
the messenger of
the gods.
MITHRAS
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/mithras.html
Mithra, known as
Mithras to the Romans,
was originally a Persian
god of the sun. At the
beginning of time
Mithras had sacrificed
the mythical great bull
from the body of which
flowed the blood which
gave life to earth.
With the Romans
Mithras became the god
of kings, justice and
contracts. He was a deity
particularly favored by
soldiers, who were bound
in loyalty to their rulers
and is often described as
the soldier god.
Venus, a very
ancient Latin deity
who protected
vegetation and
gardens, was
merged in the
Roman faith with
the Greek goddess
Aphrodite,
becoming the
goddess of love
and beauty.
V
E
N
U
S
Capitoline Museums, Rome
http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/venus.html
DIANA
Diana, the virgin
huntress, Goddess
of light, a moon
Goddess and also
Goddess to unity
of peoples
Capitoline Museums, Rome
http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/diana.html
VESTA
http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/vesta.html
Vesta was the Roman
version of the Greek
goddess Hestia, and
guarded the hearth
and home. She
therefore never
moved from Mount
Olympus. Also she
was bestowed with
perpetual virginity,
which is why her
priestesses were to be
virgins, too, - the
famous Vestal
Virgins.
BACCHUS
Bacchus is the Roman
version of the Greek
god Dionysos. He
generally represented
as an ever-young god
of wine and jolity, but
at times also of deep
thoughtfulness.
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/bacchus.html
References
Edkins, Joe. Feb. 1999. “Jupiter or Jove.” Website. 4 Dec. 2001.
<http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/roman/jupiter.htm>
“Illustrated History of the Roman Empire.” Website.
4 December 2001 <http://www.roman-empire.net/>
Mautz, Nancy. 12 November 2001. Website “The Development of
Western Civilization:World History- Rome.”4 Dec. 2001.
<http://history.evansville.net/rome.html>
Powerpoint created by Martha Boerschlein Tracy on Dec. 4, 2001 for
Values for Success.