Viet Dau Mr. O’Connell Comparative Religions Ancient Greco-Roman Religious Practices and Myth

I will be able to identify what a pagan religion is, what a haruspex is, and what its connection to ancient religion is through a powerpoint.

 Pagan religion – to be considered pagan, a religion must be practiced by no more than a small minority in a society; is usually considered eccentric by the majority  Many pagan religions found their way into Rome during the Roman Empire which were very radical compared to the polytheistic religion of the Romans

 The Etruscans had a belief in divination and augury – reading the future in omens  Believed that everything occurred because it was the will of the gods  Haruspex – person trained to practice a form of divination through the entrails of sacrificial animals, usually the liver of sheep

 The picture of the Liver of Piacenza was found marked with the name of regions assigned to various deities of Etruscan religion  The Etruscans also believed in the afterlife  Similar to the Egyptians, they put clothing, food, furniture, jewelry, and pottery inside tombs to ease the journey into the afterlife

Jones, Leslie Ellen. "Death and the Afterlife." Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology. Marshall Cavendish Digital, Web. 06 October Jones, Leslie Ellen. "Paganism." Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology. Marshall Cavendish Digital, Web. 06 October Nice, Alex T. "Etruscans." World Book Student. World Book, Web. 6 Oct