One of the most powerful states in the world was strikingly different from the barbarian lands surrounding it. His culture, mentality, and beliefs fit into the only system that helped dominate the world. Ancient Rome, whose religion will interest us most in this article, has contributed to the formation of the modern face of the planet.
How it all started
To begin with, we should mention the beliefs of the tribes that inhabited the land, which later entered the borders of the Eternal City. Like most of their neighbors, they worshiped spirits, the forces of nature. It was then that the latter turned into proud gods who condescendingly looked down upon the earthly inhabitants. The special guardians of the houses (penates), families (lars) were patrimonial patrons of farmers who worshiped mother earth.
With the development of Rome, his cult, his pantheon, those gods who gave life to the city became the main thing. Mars and his sons Romulus and Remus, fed by a she-wolf, are to whom Ancient Rome owes its appearance. Religion proclaimed the supremacy of the ruler of Romulus, claimed for him the right to decide the fate of ordinary citizens, legitimized his exceptional position.
Fine antiquity
However, the roots of the city’s belief system on seven hills go beyond the Apennine Peninsula. Indeed, according to legend, the foundations of the state here were laid by the legendary Aeneas, a Trojan who left his native Ilion after the end of a ten-year war. Therefore, Greek influence is clearly visible in the culture of Rome. The Olympian gods from solar Hellas began to be identified with the locals. That is why the religion of Ancient Greece and Rome is studied as a whole.
In the main place of Rome - on Capitol Hill, there were not only the most important state institutions. In the sixth century BC, the magnificent temple of Jupiter, the supreme god, a powerful thunderer, was erected here. A little later, the monastery of Vesta, the goddess of fire and patroness of the Roman people, immediately appears. In addition, the Dioccurs of the patricians were held in high esteem; the cult of Lieber flourished among the plebs. The religion of Ancient Rome called to worship also the gods who personified virtues: peace (Pax), fidelity (Fidesz), courage (Virtus), harmony (Concordia).
But even the belief system was streamlined. Ancient Rome, whose religion is interesting to study today, divided the gods into three groups: chthonic, or earthly, heavenly and underground. The souls of the ancestors, who were respected during life, themselves became deities after death. Villains and sinners became evil beings - lemurs, larvae.
A special class of society were the priests who performed all official rites in the Roman Empire. They divined and predicted, interpreted signs, determined the future, and were advisers to the ruler in important matters. There was even a Higher Priestly College led by the Great Pontiff, who was elected for life. Did this not find its reflection in Christianity? Is it not from there that the tradition went to elect the Pope as the Holy Council of Cardinals?
Ancient Rome, whose religion changed with the expansion of borders, worshiped the Egyptian gods Osiris and Isis, the Persian Miter, Dorian Cybele. Well, then Christianity took the dominant place.