Religion: Before their conversion to Christianity(Catholic) as their official religion, Rome had many gods and goddesses which they copied from the Greeks. In this page, we'll be talking about Rome's ancient religion then onto their conversion to Christianity. The Romans took and changed a lot of literature, beliefs, culture, etc. from other empires. One of the biggest was belief systems from the Greeks. The Greeks worshiped gods which the Romans took and changed their names, personalities, etc. For example, Hera (Greek name) was called Juno in the Roman times and was more warlike. Many gods were more powerful in the Roman ages and some only existed in that era! The main gods that were worshiped were the 12 Olympian Gods+Pluto: Jupiter, Juno, Venus, Apollo, Mars, Diana, Minerva, Ceres, Pluto, Vulcan, Mercury, Vesta, and Neptune.
Jupiter-The Roman God of Rain,Thunder, Lightning
Jupiter was the prime god of the Romans. After all, the Romans pictured him as the King of all the gods and goddesses. Jupiter's Greek aspect is Zeus. Jupiter's parents are Saturn and Ops who are called by Kronos and Rhea in Greek Mythology. Jupiter's wife is Juno, the queen of the gods and goddesses. (known by Hera in Greek Mythology) We will be talking about Juno later in this page. Jupiter's sacred animal is the eagle which is a coincidence since eagles are known to be the kings/queens of all birds. So see how that coincides with Jupiter? Jupiter's symbols are the lightning bolt, and a breastplate with a storm cloud etched on it. Jupiter's sacrificial animals are the lamb, ram, and ox. These animals were sacrificed on the Ides which is the full moon and every Nunidae which is every 9th day. Jupiter's temple location was on Capitoline Hill like said before on the Geography page. Romans had a very high respect for Jupiter. A gladiator was required to take a vow for Jupiter that he trained for a whole month honestly and eagerly. Jupiter also had one of the largest, and most elaborate temples in all of Rome. Romans thought they had supremacy over everyone else since they worshiped Jupiter, and that Jupiter gave them the authority to conquer other people.
Neptune-The Roman God of the Seas and Fresh Water
Neptune was one of the gods that the Romans hated, but also adored. The reason why the Romans hated Neptune was because of the constant floods that terrorized Roman society. The reason why the Romans adored Neptune was that since Neptune was the ruler of the seas it gave the sense of feeling that they ruled the sea. (They thought that Neptune made them "rulers" of the sea.) Neptune was the brother of Jupiter so they both had the same parents which were Saturn and Ops (Kronos and Rhea). Neptune's wife was Salacia the goddess of salt water. Neptune's symbol is the trident which is also called the "symbol of the sea." Neptune's sacred animals were the dolphin and the horse. The horse was created by Neptune by striking a rock with the trident. Neptune's sacrificial animal was the bull. The bull is very special for Roman animal sacrifices since the Romans only sacrificed the bull to certain gods and goddesses like for example, Neptune was one of the special ones. So was Mars and Apollo. Overall, next to Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, and Apollo are one of the greatest gods ever in Roman religion. The bull was sacrificed to Neptune on July 23 on his festival called Neptunalia. Neptune's sacred temple is located near the Circus Flaminus, the Roman racetrack and on Campus Martius. So Neptune has 2 temples in Roman religion.
Pluto-The Roman God of the Underworld and Wealth
Pluto is one of the least liked gods of both Roman and Greek religion. Pluto in Roman religion was depicted as cruel and merciless to his subjects which he showed no favor to. Pluto is often described as a cold, heartless god until the goddess Proserpina caught the lonely god's eyes. Pluto abducted Proserpina and made her the Queen of the Underworld and his wife. Ceres however, the mother of Proserpina was infuriated when she found out that Pluto abducted her child and made the Earth barren until her child was returned. Fortunately, Proserpina was returned, but not until she had 6 seeds from the fruit of the underworld. Pluto is also the brother of Jupiter and Neptune so his parents are also Saturn and Ops. (Kronos and Rhea) Pluto's symbol is the cap of invisibility, the black chariot, the cypress tree, and a scepter with two prongs. (In Egyptian mythology, every "king god" carries a scepter that looks like an ax with its head facing down. The Egyptians copied the idea of Pluto's scepter and used it to make it the royal staff of kings.) Pluto's sacred animal is the black horse. Unsurprisingly, Pluto's sacrificial animal was not very picky like the rest. Pluto's sacrificial animals where ANY animals that were black. In Roman culture, gods who were associated with the underworld often were given black animals while gods associated with the upper world were given white animals. These animals were sacrificed to him during the Festivals of the Winter. Pluto's sacred temple location is between the sacred grove of Tralleis and Nyssa.
Mars-The Roman God of War
Mars was one of the most important figures in Roman religion. Not only was Rome associated with war, but Mars was the patron of Rome. Mars is the 2nd highest figure in Roman religion next to Jupiter. Mars had many names, such as Mars Ultor, Mars Gradivus, Mars Quirinus, Mars Grabovius, Mars Pater, Mars Silvanus, and Mars Augustus. Mars was sooo famous that Emperor Augustus was called Mars Augustus. It was Emperor Augustus who praised Mars as the patron of Rome. Mars' parent was Juno only. Juno conceived Mars herself. Mars' wife was Venus who gave birth to Cupid, the GOD of love. Mars is often seen in pictures and sculptures with a shield and spear also called the Shield of Mars and the Spear of Mars. Today, the gender symbol for males is also called the Shield and Spear of Mars. Mars' sacred animals are the woodpecker and wolf. Mars, classified as a "special" god was also given the bull as its sacrificial animal along with ox, pig, horses, and rams. These animals were sacrificed to him during the Festivals of March and October. Mars' is very well known in Rome that Mars' sacred temple is located in one of the highly respected places in Rome. The Augustus Forum which is located in the HEART of Rome, the HEART of the ROMAN empire.
Apollo-The Roman God of Light, Healing, Truth,Music
Apollo is also classified as "special" and also the god who can never speak a lie. As a god of many things the Romans revered Apollo in both its Greek form and Roman form. The Greeks never really thought of Apollo as the god of the Sun, but the Romans though of Apollo as the God of the sun. So the Romans replaced Helios(the Greek god of the Sun) with Apollo. Apollo's parents were Jupiter and Latona, also called Leto in Greek Mythology. Apollo's symbol was the laurel and lyre and his sacred animals are the snake and crow. Apollo was not the only child of Latona and Jupiter. Apollo is the twin brother of Diana, also called Artemis in Greek Mythology. Apollo's sacred temple location is Porta Capena. This temple was dedicated during the Punic Wars to prevent plaques from spreading. Apollo's sacrificial animal was also the bull only like Neptune. Wine and bread were also given to Apollo. However unlike Neptune, Apollo never really had a specific festival for him. Apollo was often praised everyday for being the sun-god. He was often worshiped in other god's festivals. Julius Caesar was famous for boosting Apollo's reputation by calling the god his own. Julius Caesar was often heard declaring Apollo's name at each battle he fought the Goths.
