Download Roman religion: answers

Roman religion: answers
1. Why were the Romans so respectful towards the dead?
They were respectful because they believed the spirits of the dead had close links
with the living. If the dead weren’t treated with respect, they would return to haunt
the living.
2. Where did people go after death?
The Romans believed that they went to the underworld (Hades). The body would
have to be transported there over the River Styx by the ferryman, Charon. To pay for
his services, a coin would be placed in the dead person’s mouth.
3. Where were people buried, and why?
They were buried outside the city walls, due to lack of space in the city and for
reasons of hygene.
4. Where were most of Pompeii’s funerary monuments?
Most of them were on the roads outside the Herculaneum Gate and the Nucerian
Gate. Herculaneum and Nuceria were the two cities closest to Pompeii.
5. What would be inscribed on the funerary monuments to wealthy Pompeians?
The inscription would give us the man’s name, his rank and information about his
life, public works and activities.
6. How would poorer people afford a sepulchre (a place for burial)?
They would combine their resources to build one, which would serve the group of
families.
7. What were the lares, and where were they kept?
They were household gods, who protected the home. They were kept in the lararium
(the household shrine). This could be quite elaborate, or a simple cupboard.
8. How did the Romans view their gods?
Romans viewed the gods as powerful beings that controlled various aspects of
nature. They did not have a personal relationship with the gods or regard them as
superior moral beings. They were beings that had to be appeased.
9. How did Romans appease the gods?
They appeased them by making offerings to them – sacrifices, festivals, games and
rituals.
10. What was divination?
Divination was the art of interpreting the will of the gods by studying signs and
omens. This often involved reading the entrails of sacrificed animals.
11. How does the historian Alan Wardman interpret the relationship between the
Romans and their gods?
He sees it as a patron-client relationship. In the same way that important Romans
expected their clients to pay their respects to them each day, so too the gods
expected all Romans to make sacrifice each day.
12. Where did the idea of the emperors being gods come from?
It came from Rome’s eastern provinces. In Egypt, for example, pharaoh’s were
regarded as gods. When Rome conquered these regions, eastern ideas crept into
their thinking. Emperors also found it very convenient to rule with the authority of a
god.
13. What was the purpose of a Roman temple? Who carried out worship there? Why
might ordinary Romans go there?
The temple was regarded as the home of the god. It was where the god’s statue
resided. Priests carried out worship there. Ordinary people would come not to
worship but to ask the god for favour. In return, they would make a sacrifice.
14. What was the Capitolinum?
It was the Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva – the Capitoline Triad. These were
the official gods of the Roman state.
15. What were the other main temples in Pompeii?
They were the Temple of Apollo (dedicated to Apollo and Venus), the Temple of
Vespasian (dedicated to the cult of the emperors), the Sanctuary of the Public Lares,
the Temple of Venus (patron god of Pompeii) and the Temple of Isis (an Egyptian
god).