Part 1 - Discussion The Roman religion, like many aspects of Roman culture, was heavily influenced by the Greek civilization. As the Romans came into contact with Greek culture through trade and conquest, they found much to admire in the Greek religious system. Consequently, they adopted several Greek gods into their pantheon, albeit with some modifications to suit their unique way of life. The adoption of Greek deities into Roman religion is one of the most notable instances of this assimilation. For instance, Zeus, the strongman of the Greek gods, had a Roman mythological counterpart in Jupiter (Dillon, 2019). They are both connected to thunder and the sky, reflecting their heavenly authority and power. Greek goddess Hera, who took on the role of Juno in Roman mythology, was the protector of women and the guardian of marriage. Hera was the queen of the Greek gods. Similar to Neptune in the Roman pantheon, Poseidon, the sea god from Greek mythology, was also given sovereignty over the oceans and other water-related phenomena (Dillon, 2019). Ares, the Greek combat …show more content…
The Romans evolved and modified Greek ideas to fit their values and socioeconomic framework. Roman religious traditions, for instance, were more structured and focused on preserving the gods’ favor to safeguard the state and its citizens (Grant, 2022). On the other hand, Greek religion placed more emphasis on close personal ties with the gods and was hence more individualistic. Romans also had their distinctive gods that weren’t part of the Greek pantheon. Roman-specific deities included Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, and Janus, the deity of beginnings and transitions (Grant, 2022). Roman deities were occasionally combined with native gods from conquered countries as Rome’s empire grew and came into contact with numerous other cultures and religions. This further distinguished Roman religion from its Greek