How do these categories relate to Human Existence?
The religion of the Romans was a polytheistic religion which incorporated the worship of many gods (Polytheism) much of which was taken from the Greek religion. The Greek and then the Roman priests needed a story or myth which contained a family tree and explained the beginnings of the main Gods and Goddesses (Dii Consentes). These legends and myths answered questions relating to where the gods and goddesses came from and their relationship to each other which is called a Cosmogony. The Twelve major gods of the Pantheon (Pantheon meaning the collective major gods of a people) were called Dii Consentes. A 'family tree' of the Gods and Goddesses explained 'who was who' and what relationships they had with each other.
The Roman religion centred around the worship of the Roman gods and goddesses. These articles contain interesting facts and information regarding the principles, traditions, sacrifices, ceremonies, priests and the Vestal Virgins and the part they played in Roman religion. The role and clothing of the Vestal Virgins, the Augurs and Auguries, Aruspices, Pontifices, Priests and Religious ceremonies and festivals. Facts about the temples where the Romans worshipped. Human and animal sacrifice was practised by the Romans. The early worship of Jupiter Latiaris involved human sacrifice and it is believed that a Bestiarius was sacrificed at the opening of the early Roman games however animal sacrifice was far more common. |
RitualsAll sacrifices and offerings required an accompanying prayer to be effective. Pliny the Elder declared that "a sacrifice without prayer is thought to be useless and not a proper consultation of the gods."Prayer by itself, however, had independent power. The spoken word was thus the single most potent religious action, and knowledge of the correct verbal formulas the key to efficacy. Accurate naming was vital for tapping into the desired powers of the deity invoked, hence the proliferation of cult epithets among Roman deities. Public prayers were offered loudly and clearly by a priest on behalf of the community. Public religious ritual had to be enacted by specialists and professionals faultlessly; a mistake might require that the action, or even the entire festival, be repeated from the start. The historian Livy reports an occasion when the presiding magistrate at the Latin festival forgot to include the "Roman people" among the list of beneficiaries in his prayer; the festival had to be started over. Even private prayer by an individual was formulaic, a recitation rather than a personal expression, though selected by the individual for a particular purpose or occasion.
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WorshipRoman Places of Worship.
Templum was a place which had been dedicated to the worship of a Roman god or goddess, and consecrated by the augurs. After the consecration ceremonies the name was changed to temples. The most celebrated temples in Ancient Rome were located in the capitol and the pantheon. The Capitol housing the Temple of Jupiter, Minerva and Juno The capitol contained in it three temples: one to Jupiter, one to Juno, and one to Minerva. Jupiter's was in the centre, whence he was poetically called “Media qui sedet aede Deus” meaning the god who sits in the middle temple. The temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, was built because of a vow made by Tarquinius Priscus, in the Sabine war. Only the foundation of the Temple of Jupiter was laid before his death and his nephew, Tarquin the Proud, finished it with the spoils taken from the neighboring nations. The original temple stood on a high ridge stretching over four acres of ground. The front of the Temple of Jupiter was adorned with three rows of pillars, the other sides with two. The ascent from the ground to the entrance of the temple was by a hundred steps. The Pantheon The pantheon was built by Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law to Augustus Caesar, and dedicated most probably to all the gods in general, as the name implies. The structure is a hundred and fifty-eight feet high, and about the same breadth. The roof is curiously vaulted, void places being here and there for the greater strength. The rafters were pieces of brass of forty feet in length. There are no windows in the whole edifice, only a round hole at the top of the roof, which serves very well for the admission of light. The walls on the inside are either solid marble or incrusted with marble. |
FestivalsRomans held festivals to honour their Gods, especially their 'main' Gods. These festivals may occur once a year for God's unless seen as a very important or special they were treated with two festivals a year. These festivals were often paid by wealthy Roman people for they wanted to gain credit from the God's as a favour. Most festivals were free to the general public. since the people of Ancient Rome worshiped many God's there was an estimate of 200 festivals held every year. During Roman Festivals the words of the ceremonies were of vital importance as were other details such as where the festival was held and the choice of the appropriate offering again. The sex of the victim had to correspond to the sex of the deity to whom it was offered. White animals must be given to the gods of the upper world whereas black victims to the deities below. Mars at his October festival must have his horse and Juno her goat. In the more rustic festivals such as the Parilia, the offering would be the simpler gift of millet-cakes and bowls of milk. In the case of the Bona Dea was the curious
provision that if wine were used in the ceremonial, it must, as she was in origin a pastoral deity, always be spoken of as 'milk.' The idea of communion with the sacrificed animal emerged during the early Roman festivals displayed in the smearing of the blood and the wearing of the skin of the sacrificial animal. |