Ancient Rome and Religion

Religion played a veryimportant role in the daily life ofAncient Romeand theRomans. Roman religion wascentred around gods and explanations for events usually involved the gods insome way or another. The Romans believed that gods controlled their lives and,as a result, spent a great deal of their time worshipping them.

The most important god wasJupiter. He was the king of gods who ruled with his wife Juno, the goddess ofthe sky. Other gods were:

Mars God of War

Mercury The messenger of the gods

Nepture God of the Sea

Janus God of the Doorway

Diana Goddess of Hunting

Vesta Goddess of the Hearth

Minerva Goddess of Healing and Wisdom

Venus Goddess of Love

After the reign of theEmperor Augustus (27 BC to AD 14), the emperor was also considered to be a godand he was worshipped on special occasions. Each god had a special festival daywhich was usually a public holiday. This holiday gave people the opportunity tovisit the temple for whichever god was being celebrated. At this temple, priestswould sacrifice animals and offer them to the god.

Animals being led to slaughter at a temple sacrifice

Temples to worship the godswere built throughout theRoman Empire. Templesusually always followed the same building pattern. The roof was triangularshaped and supported by great pillars. Steps led up to the main doorway that wasusually built behind the pillars. The inside of the temple would have been verywell decorated and there would have been a statue of the god in it. There wouldalso have been an altar where a priest would have served the god and madesacrifices. People called augurs could also be found in the temples. Thesepeople used the entrails of the dead animals to predict the future. The Romanstook these predictions very seriously and few ignored the advice of an augur.

Each familyhomewould also have a small altar and shrine. The Romans had personal household godsor spirits called 'lares' which were worshipped every day at home. The shrinecontained statues of the 'lares' and the head of the household led familyprayers around the shrine each day. The service was considered so important thatfamilyslaves were also invited. It is believedthat most Romans were more keen to please their 'lares' than the public godssuch as Jupiter.