The Origins of Roman Religion and Its Progress

2680 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Role of gods in the ancient world

The Origins of Roman Religion and Its Progress

Introduction

============

Throughout the ages, beliefs have changed, advanced, and occasionally

begun. In the time of Ancient Rome, the people began observing one

religion; that which was similar to the Greeks; the pantheon. Through

the Roman Empire, the worship of twelve central deities was observed

carefully. The Romans themselves began all the beliefs contained

within the worship. This was of great importance to the Roman people,

and helped the empire to expand through its strong religious centre.

"The presence of the gods gives the past a certain dignity, and if any

nation deserves to be allowed to claim that its ancestors were gods,

that people is ours."

Livy

As can be seen, the strength of the Roman Empire may have had a great

deal to do with the belief that the emperors became deities once they

had died. This supported them, and strengthened their power, as will

be discussed later. The city of Rome itself was also built under

religious beliefs: Romulus and Remus, the sons of the god Mars and a

mortal (Rhea Silvia), had been suckled by wolves from birth.

Eventually they fought to the death of over who would take the seven

hills on which the foundations of the city were placed. Romulus won,

and built the city in his name. Aeneas, another half-mortal, built

even the predecessor of Rome. These myths supported the Roman religion

well, allowing the Roman citizens to give full beliefs to these gods

and goddesses.

[IMAGE]

It is likely that without the original religion in Rome, it would have

been far more difficult to build such an impressive empire. The n...

... middle of paper ...

...n their worship

for two reasons. One, as mentioned above, to ensure a safe life from

the wrath of the gods, and a healthy after life as well. Secondly,

because they wished to follow the laws of state, which dictated that

they should worship these gods. The majority of citizens would have

worshipped simply to ensure their own survival in an empire that

required its laws to be followed.

[IMAGE]

Mithras with stars beneath his cape

Bibliography

Websites:

· www.clubs.psu.edu/aegsa/rome/romec.html

· www.ghg.net/shetler/rome

· www.lamp.ac.uk/~noy/women.htm

· www.well.com/user/davidu/mithras.html

Books:

· These were the Romans by G. I. F. Tingay and J. Badcock

· Roman Society by David Taylor

· Cambridge Latin Course IIIB

· Religion and the Romans by Ken Dowden

Show More
Related

  • Rome : End of Paganism And Dawn of Christianity

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    The city of Rome was and is one of the most well-known cities of the world. It has always lured in huge visitors for its attraction for the elaborate Pagan temples or for the eloquent Cathedrals of the Rome. Now the city is known for being the center of the catholic faith. The city is interesting in a way that, it has not always been a Catholic hotspot. The city was originally under the control of the Romans who worshiped Pagan Gods. The Romans believed that Rome was a holy city chosen by their Gods (Cowling). The switch from being a Pagan centered place to a Christian centered place was not as easy transition for the city. It took time and perseverance. As the Christian influence started to build up, the face of the Roman city started to change; the structure of the city was changed, the major public places changed, and along with that major monuments in the city changed. The city changed so much that now if you don’t look closely enough, you might think the city was always under the Christian influence.

    Read More

  • The Value of Wealth in Ancient Rome

    1666 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many factors contribute to the success of a society and determine the supremacy of the entire empire. The most evident of these factors is the common wealth of the population. This wealth is not merely calculated in monetary form but comprises the amount of resources and military power an empire possesses. The endless necessity in an increase of wealth in Rome could have led to the expansion. Since the land was not rich in resources and the soil was not the greatest for agriculture, expansion of the Roman border...

    Read More

  • The History of the Roman Government

    4408 Words  | 9 Pages

    The Romans have had almost every type of government there is. They've had a kingdom, a republic, a dictatorship, and an empire. Their democracy would be the basis for most modern democracies. The people have always been involved with and loved their government, no matter what kind it was. They loved being involved in the government, and making decisions concerning everyone. In general, the Romans were very power-hungry. This might be explained by the myth that they are descended from Romulus, who's father was Mars, the god of war. Their government loving tendencies have caused many, many civil wars. After type of government, the change has been made with a civil war. There have also been many civil wars between rulers. But it all boils

    Read More

  • The Rise Of The Roman Republic

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The Imperial Cult In The Roman Empire

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within the Ancient world, political leaders manipulated the balance between religion and politics to further their own power. In particular, Gaius Octavius (63 BC – 14 AD) later known as Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus, exploited the ‘imperial cult’ as a political tool within the Roman Empire. Termed by modern historians, the imperial cult was a combination of local religious cults where people worshipped the emperor as a deity who received divine honours exceeding all other living entities. By directly allowing the imperial cult in the Roman provinces, this achieved much required unity and stability throughout the Empire. Consequently, this enabled Augustus to indirectly incorporate the cult into Rome’s ritualistic polytheism practices.

    Read More

  • Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Romans were on one of the greatest people of all. They had power, wealth, and even a half of the world. They built one of the strongest and vast empire that world has ever seen. They came from nothing to something awesome. It started of as a city and ended up being one of the greatest empire of all. This essay is going to focus on the Roman Empire from the rise to the fall and the government, architecture, mythology, Family Structure, and Food of the Romans.

    Read More

  • The Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Roman Empire

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    These strengths were a strong foundation, standardization of many elements across the empire, and strong leaders who were able to effectively rule. The loss of these strengths would ultimately lead to the downfall of the Roman Empire. As time passed, the empire grew further from its original foundation, losing sight of many of its original attributes inherited from the Republic. In addition, they grew over-extended as an empire, making standardization very difficult if not virtually impossible. As future emperors attempted to extend aspects of the empire to these outlying areas, their power to do so was challenged by external influences. All of this caused an erosion of the cohesion which the standardization had brought, especially when the empire was divided between East and West. Lastly, as emperors stopped effectively using the strengths which had been used by past emperors, specifically the manipulation of the upper class and the Senate, the empire grew gradually weaker. Unable to manage such a massive empire virtually alone, even strong emperors were often left in weak positions, unable to deal with the frequent Germanic intrusions and military revolts. In short, many of the things which enabled the Roman Empire to survive for over 400 years were also the things which ultimately led to or enabled its

    Read More

  • The Rise of Rome

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Roman Republic began in 509 B.C.E. with the overthrow of the Etruscan monarchy. In 27 B.C.E the Roman Empire began with Octavian Caesar becoming the emperor, this ended almost 500 years of republican self-government. There is much debate over why Rome became so powerful so quickly. Many think it had to do with Rome’s military strength. Others think that it was because Rome knew of and controlled most of the trade routes. Still others believed it had to do with the technology that was advanced during the Roman Republic. All of these factors played significant roles, but which one played the most important role?

    Read More

  • The Rome Republic: The Success Of The Roman Republic

    1230 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Roman Republic had an upstanding infrastructure, a stable social system, and a balanced constitution that solidified Rome’s greatness. Regardless of its achievements, however, the Roman Republic owes much of its success to classical Greek cultures. These cultures, in conjunction with the fundamental values of Roman society, certified Rome as one of the most significant powers the world has ever seen.

    Read More

  • The Spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    Factors Which Led to the Spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire Christianity was not born in a vacumn. There were many social, geographical, historical and religious issues prevailing at the time of Christ and all of which were favorable to the spread of Christianity. Geograpicly, Christianity came into being in the Meditation world, the largest of the various centers of civilization at that time. Israel stands almost central to the five continents, dividing the east and west.

    Read More

  • The Expansion of the Roman Empire

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    Another sizeable contributing factor to the expansion of the Roman Empire was the sacking of Rome by the Gauls in 390 B.C.. “The Romans were completely dumbfounded by the wild and undisciplined charge of the howling Gauls. The Roman’s tightly packed phalanx, a military formation they had adopted from the Greeks of southern Italy, collapsed, and the Romans fled” (Kidner, 129). The sacking left the Romans determined to prevent and avoid any similar outcomes in the future.

    Read More

  • Romulus Character Analysis

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rome, even at its beginnings, proved to be a force to be reckoned with. It’s rapid growth and accumulation of power and repeated victories over powerful neighbors set Rome in a position of great authority and influence. As the leader of early Rome, Romulus’ effective command of his men and governance of his people provided the foundation for the building of a great city. Livy emphasizes Romulus’ possible divine origins and strong ties to deities as a validation and reinforcement of his ability to rule. A nation’s sole defense cannot be just bricks and mortar, it requires an army and a will and Romulus was able to successfully take action against the aggressors when action was needed.

    Read More

  • Essay: Christianity In Rome

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bryan Byerly Mrs. Wagner Western World 10 Seminar- 4 4 December, 2013 Christianity in Rome Essay Christianity became more prevalent in Roman society as time went on because it appealed to Rome and what Roman ideals were. In the beginning Romans were skeptical of changing religion, but as the years went by, the Romans adopted and changed. Christianity appealed to the Roman ideals, as it gave certain perks that their current polytheistic religion did not offer to them. The emperors of Rome had many different views on Christianity; some emperors encouraged change, and others were more traditional and wanted to stick to their current, polytheistic religion. Roman views on Christianity have changed drastically from the early years of the Roman

    Read More

  • Success of the Roman Army

    1634 Words  | 4 Pages

    The empire that the Roman’s built can be argued to have been the greatest in world history. The Roman Empire controlled the largest land area in European history and influenced a huge region, acting as a cultural center for the entire continent of Europe. Their strength derived from their prowess and skill on the battlefield. The Roman Army was extremely effective and became the basis of our military structure today by utilizing technological advances in strategy and weaponry, and simply having more discipline.

    Read More

  • The Rise Of Christianity

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    One influential cult was based upon a mystical interpretation of Plato. Neo-Platonism was like a rational science that attempted to break down and describe every aspect of the divine essence and its relationship with the human soul. An Alexandrian Jew named Philo tried using Greek philosophy to interpret the Jewish scriptures. He wanted to unite the two traditions by suggesting that the Greek philosophers had been inspired by the same God who had revealed himself to the Jews.

    Read More

More about The Origins of Roman Religion and Its Progress

Open Document