Religious beliefs of the ancient Romans evolved. Initially, there was a polytheistic religion - paganism. The Romans believed in many gods.
The structure and main concepts of the ancient Roman religion
Like any other polytheistic faith, Roman paganism did not have a clear organization. In fact, this is a collection of a large number of ancient cults. The ancient gods of Rome were responsible for various aspects of human life and the natural elements. Rites were revered in each family - they were conducted by the head of the family. The gods were asked for help in household and personal matters.
There were ceremonies that were held at the state level - they were performed at different times by priests, consuls, dictators, praetors. The gods were asked for help in battles, intercession and assistance in combat with the enemy. Fortune-telling and rituals played a big role in solving state issues.
During the reign of Numa Pompilius, the concept of "priest" appeared. It was a representative of a closed caste. The priests had a great influence on the ruler, they possessed the secrets of rituals and communication with the gods. During the time of the empire, the emperor began to perform the function of the pontiff. It is characteristic that the gods of ancient Greece and Rome were similar in their functions - they onlyhad different names.
The main features of the religion of Rome
Important characteristics of Roman beliefs were:
- great impact of foreign borrowing. The Romans often came into contact with other peoples in the course of their conquests. Contacts with Greece were especially close;
- religion was closely linked to politics. This can be judged based on the existence of a cult of imperial power;
- characteristically endowing with divine qualities such concepts as happiness, love, justice;
- close connection between myth and belief – defines but does not distinguish Roman religion from other pagan systems;
- a huge number of cults, rituals. They differed in scale, but covered all aspects of public and private life;
- The Romans deified even such trifles as the return from a campaign, the first word of a baby and much more.
Ancient Roman pantheon
The Romans, like the Greeks, represented the gods as humanoid. They believed in the forces of nature and spirits. The main deity was Jupiter. His element was the sky, he was the lord of thunder and lightning. In honor of Jupiter, the Great Games were held, a temple was dedicated to him on Capitoline Hill. The ancient gods of Rome took care of various aspects of human life: Venus - love, Juno - marriage, Diana - hunting, Minevra - craft, Vesta - hearth.
In the Roman pantheon there were father gods - the most revered of all, and lower deities. They also believed in spirits that were present in everything that surroundsperson. Researchers believe that the worship of spirits was present only at an early stage in the development of the religion of Rome. Initially, Mars, Quirinus and Jupiter were considered the main gods. At the time of the emergence of the institution of the priesthood, tribal cults were born. It was believed that each estate and noble family was patronized by a certain god. Cults appeared among the clans of Claudius, Cornelius and other representatives of the elite of society.
Saturnalia was celebrated at the state level - in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. They organized grandiose festivities, thanked the patron for the harvest.
The social struggle in society led to the formation of a triad of gods or a "plebeian triad" - Ceres, Liber and Liber. The Romans also identified celestial, chthonic and earthly deities. There was a belief in demons. They were divided into good and evil. The first group included penates, lares and geniuses. They kept the traditions of the house, the hearth and protected the head of the family. Evil demons - lemurs and laurels interfered with the good ones and harmed the person. Such creatures appeared if the deceased was buried without observing the rituals.
The gods of Ancient Rome, whose list includes more than 50 different creatures, have been objects of worship for many centuries - only the degree of influence of each of them on the consciousness of the people has changed.
During the empire, the goddess Roma, the patroness of the entire state, was popularized.
What gods did the Romans borrow?
As a result of frequent contacts with other peoples, the Romans began to incorporate foreign beliefs and rituals into their culture. Researchers tend to think all religionis a collection of borrowings. The main reason for this is that the Romans respected the beliefs of the people they conquered. There was a ritual that formally introduced a foreign deity into the pantheon of Rome. This rite was called evocation.
The ancient gods of Rome appeared in the pantheon as a result of close cultural ties with the conquered peoples and the active development of their own culture. The most striking borrowings are Mithra and Cybele.
Table "Gods of Ancient Rome and Greek correspondences":
| Roman names | Greek names | Element |
| Jupiter | Zeus | Supreme god of thunder and lightning |
| Juno | Hera | Marriage, motherhood, supreme goddess |
| Venus | Aphrodite | Love |
| Neptune | Poseidon | Sea element |
| Pluto | Hades | Underworld |
| Minerva | Athena | Justice, wisdom |
| Mars | Ares | War |
| Sol | Helios | Sun |
Mythology of Ancient Rome
In all pagan cultures, myths and religious beliefs are closely linked. The theme of Roman myths is traditional - the foundation of the city and the state, the creation of the world and the birth of the gods. This is one of the most interesting aspects of culture to study. Researchers on the mythological system can trace the entirethe evolution of Roman beliefs.
Traditionally, legends contain many descriptions of miraculous, supernatural events that ancient people believed in. From such narratives, one can single out the features of the political views of the people, which are hidden in the fantastic text.
In the mythology of almost all peoples, the theme of the creation of the world, cosmogony, is in the first place. But not in this case. It mainly describes heroic events, the ancient gods of Rome, rituals and ceremonies that must be carried out.
Heroes had a semi-divine origin. the legendary founders of Rome - Romulus and Remus - were the children of martial Mars and a vestal priestess, and their great ancestor Aeneas was the son of the beautiful Aphrodite and the king.
The gods of Ancient Rome, which list includes both borrowed and local deities, has more than 50 names.
