How Did The Greek Gods Influence Rome

529 Words3 Pages

The Romans were known for their polytheistic religions which means worshiping many gods. From the aristocrats to the plebs and even the meekest of slaves, the Roman people were deeply religious. They worshipped many gods and strived to be virtuous, so it would make them happy, and hopefully, in turn, make their own lives less difficult. Rome was constantly acquiring new lands by conquering others, and as a result, many people and their cultures and beliefs became part of the state. This assimilation influenced the Romans in many ways including its religion (Muncan & Gumbar. n.d.).

5 Greek Gods in Roman religion and their traits.
Jupiter was the king of all the gods, his trait was thunder and lightning. Jupiter had a wife and her name was …show more content…

This was a natural process, as the Romans conquered new lands, the newly acquired people, albeit they were now slaves, brought with them their culture and their religion. Most historians speculate that a strong Greek influence began during the 4th century BC. The Romans had conquered most of their non-Greek neighbors in the Italian peninsula, and without Etruscan and Campanian influences the Greek religion had become the overriding outside influence (Grant, 2022). The effect of the Greek culture on Rome and its evolving religious practices can be seen as early as the 8th century BC. Their burial practices became extravagant, particularly when it came to the wealthy and powerful, for example, the great tombs of Praeneste outside of the city of Rome (Dillion, …show more content…

I do not think it is a mere coincidence that there are so many similarities between their Gods.

Which religious ritual or practice of the Romans do you find fascinating and why?
I found it fascinating that the Roman festivals were celebrated similarly, like the festivals we have today, worldwide. The Romans would close their business, and celebrate in the streets, they had certain traditions they followed for different festivals, similar to what we do nowadays (Dillion, 2019)

Word count before references 480

Reference

Dillon, M. (2019, June 25). Gods in Ancient Greece and Rome. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. Retrieved from https://oxfordre.com/religion/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-104;jsessionid=0030F0102B67ED5E8DEB3F3D17EDD093

Grant, M. (2022, August 9). Roman religion. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-religion

Muncan D., Gambar I. (n.d.) Roman Religion Before the Greeks. Ancient History Documentary. Retrieved from