Download Roman Religious Beliefs Stage 23

Roman Religious Beliefs Stage 23
Sacrifices and Presents to the Gods
1. Nūmina- Spirits of divinities that control all things. The power of the numina was
seen in fire or the changing of seasons. To ensure that the numina used their
power for good rather than harm, Romans offered food and wine.
2. After the third century B.C. Roman spirits and agricultural deities were
incorporated into the Greek Pantheon (system of gods) the idea of a contract
between mortals and gods disappeared.
3. Animal sacrifices, gifts, and prayers with promises of offerings were used to
communicate wishes to the gods. These promises were known as vota. In this
way, they sought to maintain good terms with the gods and stood a better chance
of having their prayers answered. True for all levels of society.
4. Hestia, goddess of the hearth, and the larēs and the penātes, the spirits of the
household and food cupboard respectively.
Divination
1. A harūspex would be present at important sacrifices. He and his assistants would
watch the way in which the victim fell; observe the smoke and flames when parts
of the victim were placed on the altar fire; and cut the victim open and examine its
entrails, focusing on the liver. They would inspect it for anything unusual about
the liver’s size or shape, observe its color and texture, and note whether it had
spots on its surface. Then they would interpret what they saw and announce to the
sacrificer whether the omina from the gods were favorable or not.
2. Attempts to discover the future were known as divination.
3. Priests known as augurēs (augurs) based their predictions on observations of the
flight of birds. Noting the direction of flight, type of birds, noises made, and flight
formation
The Roman State Religion
1. Religion in Rome and Italy included a bewildering variety of gods, demigods,
spirits, rituals and ceremonies, whose origin and meaning were unknown to some
of the worshippers themselves.
2. The Roman State was tolerant of this variety, but promoted the worship of Jupiter
and his family of gods and goddesses, Juno, Minerva, Ceres, Apollo, Diana, Mars,
and Venus, and remained closely linked with their Greek counterparts whose
characteristics and mythology were assimilated by the Romans.
3. Rituals and ceremonies were organized by colleges of priests and religious
officials, many of whom were senators, and were carried out by them on behalf
of the state.
4. Religious duties of the Arval Brotherhood included praying for the emperor and
his family.
5. The emperor always held the position of Pontifex Maximus or chief priest.
6. Attention was placed on the structure and details of worship. Spectators had to
remain still and silent, and every word had to be pronounced correctly. A pipe-
player was employed to drown out noises and cries, which were thought to be
unlucky.
Religion and Romanization
1. Romans generally tolerated religious beliefs and practices of their subject people,
unless they were thought to threaten their rule or their relationship with the gods.
2. Encouraged subjects to identify their own gods with the Roman gods.
3. At Aquae Sulis, the Celtic Sulis, and the Roman Minerva were merged into one
goddess, Sulis Minerva.
4. In Rome itself, emperor worship was discouraged while the emperor was still
alive. However, the peoples of the eastern provinces of the Roman empire had
always regarded their kings and rulers as divine.
5. Britons and other Western Peoples we’re encouraged to worship the genius, the
protecting spirit of the emperor.
6. When an Emperor died, it was custom to deify them (make them a god.)
7. Queen Boudicca destroyed the temple of Claudius in Camulodunum (Colchester)
during a revolt.
Astrology
1. Romans we’re content with the official state religion, but some indulged in other
kinds of worship. Many took part in both
2. Astrology = events in a person’s life that are controlled by the stars and planets
and their movements and positions.
3. Horoscopos- Position of the stars at the time of a person’s birth.
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