Roman Religions

The ancient Romand worshiped many gods, godesses and spirits, each of whom was responsible for a different part of life. Juno was the goddess of woman; Jupiter, the king of the gods was also the god of the sky; Mercury was the god of merchants; Wulcan the god of fire; Mars the god of war; Minerva the goddess of wisdom; Venus the goddess of fertility and love. The ancient Romans adopted gods and goddesses from other cultures as well. Bacchusor or Dionysus, the Greek god of wine; Cybelle, the Turkish goddess of motherhood; and Isis from the Egyptian pantheon who was concerned with reincarnation. Emperors and empresses were sometimes worshiped after their deaths.

Emperors showed their devotion to their favored deities by building temples to them. Roman citizens left offerings such as food, milk, wine, money, jewels or statues at temple alters and engaged in ceremonies and animal sacrifices to win the gods approval.

The Romans were generally accepting of other people’s religions but persecuted the Christians because, among other things, they displeased the gods by refusing to patricipate in such animal sacrifices and unjust ceremonies. Christianity finally because the official religion during the 4th century in Rome.

The Romans built large temples for these many gods. They were often built in places that people believed were special to their gods. The Acropolis, in Greece is one of these places.

In ancient Greece, the Greeksk alson believed in many gods and goddesses. The gods behaved much like ordinary people, but they had great wisdon. They were wiser, more cunning, and more powerful. The gods not only controlled nature, but they also controlled people’s fate. There were 12 main gods of the Greek belief, known as the Olympians. Some of the most famous included Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and Apollo.

When you walked into a Greek or Roman temple, you would find a statue of a god or goddess at the end of a long, dark room. A row of columns ran down the center of the room along both sides. A worshiper of the time might have visited the temple to thank the god for a favor and leave them a gift.

The inside of the temple wasn’t a gathering place for worship like churches and sacred buildings of today. Worship services were held outside on an alter. The temple protects the statur of the god from the weather and anyone who would come along and harm it.