Roman Religion, The Rise of Christianity at the time of the Roman Empire and the Persecutions of Christians at this time.

University Degree Historical and Philosophical studies

Mark A. Buchanan

Standard Grade Latin

Investigation

Roman Religion/ Gods and goddesses

It has been said that the Romans had no Myths, only Legends. The Oxford English Dictionary describes Myth as ‘Fictitious narrative usually involving supernatural persons, actions, or events, and embodying some popular idea concerning natural or historical phenomena’. Most Roman myths, that I have read, don’t really fit this description very well. They are presented in ancient writers, not as fiction, but as the early history of the Roman people - even though we can’t see their content changing ourselves. Many Roman myths don’t involve the Gods at all, and those which do cover it only to a small extent, there are no myths about the Roman Gods themselves.

In the first century BC a speaker in Cicero’s dialogue - ‘On the Nature of the Gods’ - distinguishes between mythological stories about the Gods, which he regards as something Greek, and Roman expectations of Religion.

Roman Religion is made up of (1) ritual, (2) taking auspices, and (3) prophetic warnings issued by interpreters of Sibylline oracles, or entrails of sacrificed animals, on the basis of portents and omens.

In other words, stories about the Gods were unimportant, religion’s function was to maintain a stable relationship between the Gods and the Roman State, and Rome’s past success was its justification.

Gods and Goddesses

During the sixth century BC the Romans came into contact with two other nations who lived in different parts of Italy - the Etruscans and the Greeks.

The Etruscans settled just across the river Tiber to the north of Rome and exerted great power over all the towns in the area, including Rome. They themselves had been in contact with Greek ideas and they introduced many of them into Roman religion. Their own religion was very mysterious and depended a great deal on the art of divination - that is, telling the will of the Gods from signs or omens. These signs might be the size, shape and colour of an animal’s internal organs, inspected after the animal had been sacrificed. The Romans were very quick to take up this idea as part of their own religion.

The Greeks, who had settled in southern Italy, had brought their own Gods and Goddesses with them from their native cities in Greece. The Greeks believed in the Twelve Olympians, six Gods and six Goddesses, who lived on Mount Olympus in Greece and directed all the affairs of the world. All kinds of legends and stories were told about them and the Greeks thought of them as superhuman beings who lived forever.

Roman name Greek name Power

JUPITER ZEUS King of the Gods

NEPTUNE POSEIDON God of the Sea

MARS ARES God of war

APOLLO APOLLO God of the Sun

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