Religion
The Romans lived constantly in the presence of the gods, and their numerous festivals, offerings, and prayers testified to their eagerness to please their deities and obtain favors. From earliest times, the imagination of the Romans saw gods everywhere in nature, and polytheism, or the belief in many gods, was universally practiced. There were gods who protected the crops and the herds, gods of weather and seasons, gods of earth and sky, Gods had to be appeased, and when a disater struck, it proved that some gods was offended.
F estivals were held all year round, the most famous being the Saturnalia, dedicated
to the god Saturn. This holiday took place around the time that we celebarate
Christmas. It was aperiod of riotous merrymaking when even slaves were allowed
there freedom.
Since religon was the function of the state, all but temples, statues, and altars
to the gods were built by the goverment. A very important temple was the Temple
of Vesta, where six vestal virgins kept the sacred fire continuously burning
. The priest, including the pontifex maximus (cheif priest), were goverment
officials, not necessarilytrained for the priesthood.
After the conquest of Greece, the Romans indentified thier own gods with those
of Greece. Below is a list of Roman deities, their Greek equivalents, their
functions, and their principle attributes.