1. Religion of Ancient Rome
Part I : Early Rome

2. The early Romans were animistic
(animus, animi, m. – mind, spirit)
They believed that all things, especially things in nature, had a spirit or a soul.

3. Numina (numen, numinis, n.) – divine spirits present in every object.
Ex. Spirit of sheep breeding, spirit of the olive tree, spirit of the planted seed.
These numina had no mythology.
Pales the numen of the herds was neither male nor female

4. Animal sacrifices were made to important numina.
The skin, fat, and bones were given to the numina by burning them.
The humans feasted on the meat.

5. Genus, genii, m. – Spirit of ancestors who protected and instructed in proper behavior.
Romans often had shrines in their homes to the Genii.

6. Lar, laris, larium, m. & Penates, penatium, m.
These were the household spirits

7. Religion in the Roman Republic
Part II
Religion in the Roman Republic

8. The Romans came in contact with Etruscans and Greeks living in Southern Italy and Sicily.

9. The Romans were influenced by these polytheistic cultures.

10. 12 Gods formed the heavenly Senate (Dei Consentes)

11. 6 males and 6 females

12. These gods were anthropomorphic (had human characteristics)
They lived on Mt. Olympus in Greece.

13. Jupiter (Iupiter, Iovis)/ Zeus
King of the gods and mortals.
Wisest of the gods.
Symbols=> Eagles and thunderbolts

14. Bronze Statue in National Museum in Athens

15. Juno (Iuno, Iunonis)/ Hera
Queen of the gods and mortals .
Jupiter’s sister and wife.
Guardian of females.
Protector of Rome and her treasury.
Symbols=> Peacock

16. Apollo (Apollo,apollonis)/Apollo
Son of Zeus and Latonia
God of archery, music, medicine, the sun, prophecy, poetry, dance.

17. Apollo’s Symbols=>
bow & arrow, lyre, laurel wreath, swans, dolphins

18. Diana (Diana, -ae)/Artemis
Twin sister of Apollo
Goddess of the moon, hunting, chastity, wild animals.
Often accompanied by a chorus of woodland nymphs.

19. Neptune (Neptunus, –i)/Poseidon
Jupiter’s brother.
God of the water; creator of horses; causes earthquakes.
Symbols=> trident, horses

20. Minerva (Minerva, -ae)/Athena
Daughter of Jupiter and the Titan Metis
Goddess of wisdom, strategic war, spinning, weaving, and other hadicrafts

21. Creator of the olive tree. Symbols=>Owl

22. Mars (Mars, Martis)/ Ares
Son of Jupiter and Juno
God of savage war
Father of Romulus, the founder of Rome.
Symbols=> vulture, wild dogs

23. Venus(Venus,Veneris)/Aphrodite
When Uranus’s (father sky, grandfather of Jupiter) blood fell into the sea, she rose from the foam.
Goddess of love and beauty

24. She is often accompanied by her son Cupid.
She was the unfaithful wife of Vulcan.
Mother of the Trojan (Roman) hero Aeneas.
Symbols=> Rose, dove

25. Vulcan (Volcanus, i)/Hephaestus
Son of Jupiter and Juno
God of fire and blacksmiths
Husband of Venus.
His helpers are Cyclopes.

26. Statue in Birmingham, AL

27. Vulcan’s workshop is under Mt. Etna, an active volcano in Sicily.

28. Vesta (Vesta, -ae)/Hestia
A numen before the time of King Numa Pompilius who established her as the goddess of the hearth.
There are no surviving myths about Vesta.

29. The eternal flame of Rome is guarded by her 6 maidens, the Vestal Virgins.
Her temple is the oldest in the Forum.
Later she was associated with the Greek goddess, Hestia.

30. Mercury (Mercuius, -i)/ Hermes
Son of Jupiter and Maia
Messenger of the gods
God of travelers, merchants, thieves
Led souls of the dead to the underworld

31. Symbols=>
Caduceus (magic wand), winged sandals, and a helmet.

32. Ceres (Ceres, Cereris)/ Demeter
Sister of Jupiter
Goddess of grain, agriculture, and motherly love.
Mother of Proserpina (Persephone), the queen of the underworld.

33. Pluto (Pluto, Plutonis –Dis) Hades
Brother of Jupiter and Neptune.
King of the Underworld and the dead
Husband of Proserpina (Persepone)
Helmet of Invisibility

34. Other Important Gods & Goddesses

35. Fortuna Personification of luck.
She was brought by the last 3 kings of Rome from Etruria.

36. Janus God of good beginnings and good endings. God of gates and doors
Often depicted by a head with 2 faces
Worshiped at harvest, weddings, and births

37. The gates of Janus’s temple remained open during the time of war.
January is named after him.
In Latin we get the following words from his name:
Ianua, ianuae, f. – door
Ianitor, ianitoris, m. –doorman.

38. Saturn-Saturnus, -i/Cronus
Father of Jupiter
His wife was Ops.
He and Ops were dethroned in pre-history.
They came to Italy and ruled over a golden age of peace and plenty.

39. The Romans celebrated the Satrunalia from Dec. 17 to Dec
The Romans celebrated the Satrunalia from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24 in commemoration of this time.

40. Bacchus - Dionysus God of wine, parties, and the theater
Son of Zeus and Semele
Born from Zeus’s side

41. Bacchus could be jovial and kind
He could also be cruel and drive men to madness
His priestesses were called - Maenads

42. Isis Egyptian goddess Ideal wife and mother Nature goddess
Friend to the poor and enslaved
Goddess of beer, bread, and greenfields.

43. Mithra Persian god of the sun, justice, business, and war.
Popular with the Roman legions.
Initiation into this mystery cult required the sacrifice of a bull.
The initiate was baptized in its blood.

44. Cybele/ Gaia
Ancient cults worshiped her as Mother Earth.

45. Quirinus - Romulus diefied
When Romulus was old, one day while walking on the Campus Martius, he was encircled by a cloud.
He was taken to Mt. Olympus where he lived as a god.
Originally Quirinus was the Sabine god of war

46. Miscellaneous Information

47. Imperial Cult
From Julius Caesar to the inception of Christianity, all Roman Emperors (Caligula, Nero, and Commodus excluded) were deified after their deaths.

48. Pontifex Maximus Head priest of Rome’s state religion.
This literally means “the greatest bridge builder” (bridge to the gods).
Augustus here is dressed as Pontifex Maximus

49. Flamen
A Flamen was a priest for a specific god.

50. Augur
Augurs were priests who read the fight of birds, lighting, and thunder to predict the future

51. Haruspices The reading of the entrails of birds to predict the future.
Legions always traveled with a large coup of chickens

52. Sibyl of Cumae Oldest priestess of Apollo
She was immortal, but not eternally young.

53. The Sibyl lived in a cave in Italy
The Sibyl lived in a cave in Italy. She was Aeneas’s guide to the Underworld

54. Sibylline Books A collection of books that told the future of Rome.
These were sold to Tarquin II, the sixth king of Rome