In my opinion, the civilization of ancient Rome was the most magnificent of all in the ancient era. Therefore, it has always been surprising to me that the Romans could not create their own pantheon of gods (although they had them), but almost completely borrowed it from the Greece they conquered.

However, in fairness, it should be noted that the Romans borrowed gods not only from the Greeks, but from all the peoples with whom they entered into one or another relationship. Cults that are very popular in Rome can serve as proof of this. Mithras - deities of Indo-Iranian origin, Sumero-Akkadian Ishtar (Astartes), and indeed Christianity , which at the beginning of the 4th century became the official religion of the Roman Empire, was borrowed by the Romans from Judea they conquered.

But still, before the Christianization of Rome, the basis of the Roman pantheon was precisely greek olympic gods , only renamed by them.

Let's look at those gods that the Romans worshiped, to once again make sure that all of them, as they say "Made in Greece" .

JUPITER (aka ZEUS in Greek mythology)

The supreme deity who presided over the council of the gods. God of the sky, who sent rain, thunder and lightning. In Rome, in the temple of Jupiter, the consuls took the oath and the first meeting of the Senate in the coming year was held.

PLUTO (HADES)

God of the kingdom of the dead, keeper of underground riches, brother of Jupiter.

NEPTUNE (POSEIDON)

God of the seas, brother of Jupiter and Pluto.

VOLCANO (HEPHEST)

God of fire and patron of blacksmithing. The Romans believed that it was he who forged weapons for other gods and heroes in a forge located inside the Etna volcano in Sicily. By the way, the lightning of Jupiter (Zeus) is also his work.

MARS (ARES)

Initially in ancient Italy was the god of fertility (in his honor the first month of the old Roman year was named March), after identification with Ares - the god of war.

MINERVA (ATHENA)

goddess of wisdom, useful discoveries and inventions, the patroness of warriors, artisans, doctors, teachers, sculptors and musicians.

MERCURY (HERMES)

God of trade, cunning and dodgy. He was also considered the patron of various mugs of crooks, thieves and rogues. Concurrently - the messenger of the gods and the guide of the souls of the dead to the kingdom of Pluto.

CERES (DEMETRA)

Goddess of harvest and fertility, patroness of orphaned children.

DIANA (ARTEMIS)

Goddess of the hunt, animal and flora. She was considered the patroness of prisoners, plebeians and slaves, therefore in Rome she was popular in the lower strata of the population.

Phoebe (APOLLO)

God of light, patron of the arts, healer. One of the most revered gods in Rome (emperor Octavian Augustus declared him his patron).

VENUS (APHRODITE)

Originally a goddess blooming gardens, spring. After identification with Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

BACHUS (DIONYSUS, BACCHUS)

God of winemaking. (The Romans, however, had their own plebeian god of wine - Lieber ). Joy, drunkenness, all kinds of debauchery and madness are absent from Bacchus. In 186 BC. the Senate even issued a special decree against bacchanalia, many participants in orgies were executed. But the ogries in honor of Bacchus (bacchanalia) continued, despite all the prohibitions, until the Christianization of Rome.

Actually, bacchanalia and other orgistic celebrations in Rome were a common occurrence, and participation in them was almost mandatory, since it was believed that all the gods of the Roman pantheon participate in them, which means that refusal to participate in an orgy was blasphemy - an insult to the gods.

Of course, far from all the deities worshiped by the Romans are given here, but only the main personalities of the Roman (and, in fact, Greek) pantheon. But this, I think, is quite enough for you to draw certain conclusions (in the comments to the post, please).

Thank you for attention.
Sergei Vorobyov.

The most ancient beliefs of people were reduced to the endowment of the soul natural phenomena and ancestor worship. With the passage of time and the development of civilizations, more vivid images are defined from a huge number of obscure mythical deities: Mars - the god of war, Janus - the god of the beginning and end, Jupiter - the god of daylight, Thunderstorm, sending terrible downpours to the lands of people, and others. On the culture and beliefs of ancient people always big influence provided by the culture of their immediate neighbors. So, the goddess of arts Minerva was borrowed from the Etruscans by the Romans. Also, the cultural life of Rome, in turn, had a significant impact more than Greece. Today, it is undeniable that the development of ancient Roman society as a whole was significantly influenced by Roman mythology, the gods of which were mostly borrowed from the Greeks.

The mythology of the ancient states today is of great interest to researchers of the history of civilizations that have sunk into the past, collecting artifacts of their culture bit by bit over many hundreds of years. Thanks to their efforts, he has an idea of ​​​​how people lived long before the appearance of his ancestors, what they believed in and what was the meaning of their life.

Ancient Roman mythology was built on the belief in the existence of life after death. The Romans of those times worshiped the souls of their ancestors. At the heart of this worship was the fear of the supernatural powers that the Romans believed these souls possessed. The first Roman gods were identified with nature, they could command it, cause rain or send an unprecedented drought to the settlements. In order not to be left without crops, the inhabitants of Ancient Rome tried in every possible way to appease these gods. They were worshiped and sacrificed.

Greek and Roman gods: differences

According to some sources, Ancient Rome did not have its own mythology for centuries. At the same time, in neighboring Greece, cultural and religious life people flourished. Many modern researchers who are fond of history tend to believe that most of the myths were borrowed by it earlier from the more culturally developed Greeks, and the Roman gods are gods endowed with the same powers and features as the Greek ones. The only difference is in their names. So, in Roman mythology - Venus - is an exact copy of the Greek Aphrodite. The patron of ancient Roman arts - Phoebus - like no one else resembles the Greek Apollo, etc.

Initially, the Roman gods had neither a genealogy, nor even their habitat - Olympus, and were depicted in the form of certain symbols: Jupiter had the appearance of a stone, Mars - the appearance of a spear, Vesta - the appearance of flames. According to legend, the first gods of Rome did not leave any offspring after themselves, and after the completion of all the work they had begun, they did not die, but went nowhere. The Greek gods were very prolific and immortal.

Merging culture and mythology of Rome and Greece occurs around the turn of the fourth and third centuries BC. The main religious beliefs of the Greeks and part of their mythology reigned in Rome after a collection of sayings of the Greek oracle was delivered to the capital of the empire, which subsequently predicted the plague of 293 BC.

The Roman gods are more moral. According to the ideas of the ancient Romans, guardianship human life, they were the defenders of justice on Earth, property rights and many other rights that a free person should have. The moral influence of religion is especially great during the period of prosperity of Roman civil society (2-4 centuries AD). The inhabitants of ancient Rome were very devout. We can still meet the praise of this piety on the pages of the works of Roman and Greek writers of those times. The external piety of the Romans proves their respect for customs, on which the main virtue of the Roman people, patriotism, was based.

Jupiter (lat. Iuppiter) - in ancient Roman mythology, the god of the sky, daylight, thunderstorms, the father of the gods, the supreme deity of the Romans. Husband of the goddess Juno. Corresponds to the Greek Zeus. The god Jupiter was revered on the hills, the tops of the mountains in the form of a stone. The days of the full moon - ides - are dedicated to him.

The temple of Jupiter stood on the Capitol, where Jupiter, along with Juno and Minerva, was one of the three main Roman deities.

Janus

Janus (lat. Ianus, from lat. ianua - "door", Greek Ian) - in Roman mythology - the two-faced god of doors, entrances, exits, various passages, as well as the beginning and end.

One of the oldest Roman Indiget gods, along with Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, occupied a prominent place in Roman ritual. Already in antiquity, various religious performances about him and his nature. So, Cicero associated his name with the verb inire and saw in Janus the deity of entry and exit. Others believed that Janus personifies chaos (Janus = Hianus), air or the vault of heaven. Nigidius Figulus identified Janus with the sun god. Initially, Janus is a divine gatekeeper, in the hymn of the Salii he was called under the name Clusius or Clusivius (closing) and Patulcius (opening). As attributes, Janus had a key with which he unlocked and locked the gates of heaven. A staff served as a gatekeeper's weapon in order to drive away uninvited guests. Later, probably under the influence of Greek religious art, Janus was depicted as two-faced (geminus).

Juno

Juno (lat. Iuno) - the ancient Roman goddess, the wife of Jupiter, the goddess of marriage and birth, motherhood, women and female productive power. First of all, she is the patroness of marriages, the guardian of the family and family decrees. The Romans were the first to introduce monogamy (monogamy). Juno, as the patroness of monogamy, is among the Romans, as it were, the personification of a protest against polygamy.

Minerva

Minerva (lat. Minerva), corresponding Greek Athena Pallade - Italian goddess of wisdom. The Etruscans especially revered her as the lightning goddess of mountains and useful discoveries and inventions. And in Rome ancient times Minerva was considered the goddess of lightning and warlike, as indicated by the gladiatorial games during the main festival in honor of her Quinquatrus.

Diana

Diana - goddess of flora and fauna, femininity and fertility, obstetrician, personification of the Moon; corresponds to the Greek Artemis and Selene.

Later, Diana also began to be identified with Hekate. Diana was also called Trivia - the goddess of three roads (her images were placed at crossroads), this name was interpreted as a sign of triple power: in heaven, on earth and underground. Diana was also identified with the Carthaginian heavenly goddess Celeste. In the Roman provinces, under the name of Diana, local spirits - "mistresses of the forest" were revered.

Venus

Venus - in Roman mythology, originally the goddess of flowering gardens, spring, fertility, growth and flowering of all the fruitful forces of nature. Then Venus began to be identified with Greek Aphrodite, and since Aphrodite was the mother of Aeneas, whose descendants founded Rome, Venus was considered not only the goddess of love and beauty, but also the progenitor of the descendants of Aeneas and the patroness of the Roman people. The symbols of the goddess were a dove and a hare (as a sign of fertility), from plants poppy, rose and myrtle were dedicated to her.

Flora

Flora - an ancient Italian goddess, whose cult was widespread among the Sabines and especially in Central Italy. She was the goddess of flowers, blossoming, spring and field fruits; in honor of her, the Sabines named the month corresponding to April or May (mese Flusare = mensis Floralis).

Ceres

Ceres (lat. Cerēs, genus n. Cereris) - the ancient Roman goddess, the second daughter of Saturn and Rhea (in Greek mythology, she corresponds to Demeter). She was portrayed as a beautiful matron with fruits in her hands, for she was considered the patroness of the harvest and fertility (often together with Annona, the patroness of the harvest). only daughter Ceres - Proserpina, born from Jupiter.

Bacchus

Bacchus - in ancient Roman mythology, the youngest of the Olympians, the god of winemaking, the productive forces of nature, inspiration and religious ecstasy. Mentioned in the Odyssey. In Greek mythology, Dionysus corresponds to him.

Vertumn

Vertumn (lat. Vertumnus, from lat. vertere, turn) - the ancient Italian god of the seasons and their various gifts, so he was depicted in different types, mainly in the form of a gardener with a garden knife and fruits. Every year sacrifices were made to him on August 13 (vertumnalia). Later Roman mythology made him an Etruscan god; but, as the etymology of this name shows, Vertumnus was a real Latin and at the same time common Italic god, akin to Ceres and Pomona, goddesses of cereal plants and fruits.

In ancient times, the Romans represented the gods in the form of some invisible forces that accompany a person throughout life and even after it.

Gods of Ancient Rome

To systematize knowledge, we will create a list and description of the gods of Ancient Rome, which are the main ones.

During the closer relationship between Rome and Greece, the Roman gods from an inexplicable substance acquired a human form.

Rice. 1. The Roman god Jupiter.

	It is the chief of all gods. Protector of the sky and thunder. He guards the world order, is the highest deity. He is accompanied by an eagle, and uses lightning bolts as a weapon.
	Jupiter's wife and sister. She was the protector of girls, taking care of their marriages and maintaining innocence before entering into it. She certainly had a scepter in her hands, and a golden diadem covered her head.
	Father of Romulus and Remus. Mars guarded the fields, but then transformed into the god of war. The month of March is named after him. The shield and spear are his permanent weapons.
	God of sowing and harvest. taught people agriculture and life in peace and harmony. The feast of Saturnalia was held in his honor.
	God of winemaking and entertainment. In honor of him, the Romans sang songs and staged performances.
	He was a god with two heads, looking forward and backward at the same time. He was the god of any beginning or undertaking. Temples in his honor were in the form of city gates. They were opened in wartime and closed in peacetime.
Mercury	He was the messenger of the gods. He brought dreams to people and led the dead to the realm of the dead. Mercury patronized thieves and merchants. In his hands he always had a purse with money and a caduceus wand.
	Goddess of wisdom, patroness of all Roman cities. She is the protector of poets, teachers, actors and writers. Her weapons are a shield, a helmet and a spear. Near it there is certainly a snake or an owl.
	Apollo was the overseer of the execution of the will of Jupiter. He struck the disobedient with arrows or diseases, and bestowed various blessings on others. He is also the god of divination and creativity. Depicted with a bow in his hands and a quiver of arrows behind his back or in the form of a singer holding a lyre.
	This is the god of the water world. He controls the storms and sends the calm. His rage knows no bounds. His weapon is a trident.
	He is the god of the underworld and the owner of vast underground wealth.
	He was the god of blacksmithing and fire. Protected people from fire and was the patron of blacksmiths. Lived in the depths of the Sicilian volcano Etna.
	Goddess of beauty. The patroness of spouses and an unusually beautiful woman. Considered a distant ancestor of Julius Caesar
Cupid (Cupid)	A young man in charge of affairs of love. With his bow and arrows, he struck the souls of lonely people, kindling in them love for each other. It is also capable of killing love between a man and a woman.
	Responsible for agriculture and grain productivity. Depicted with a sheaf of grain ears in her hand.
Victoria	Roman goddess of victory.
	Goddess hearth and flames within it. Vesta had her own servants in the temple - Vestal Virgins. They worshiped only her and kept their innocence throughout their lives.
	The patroness of the forest and its inhabitants. She is a hunter and assistant to pregnant women during childbirth. Protector of the plebeians and slaves. Her weapon is a bow, and her doe accompanies her.
	According to the beliefs of the Romans, Quirinus is Romulus, the founder of the city of Rome. After death, he was reborn, having received a divine beginning.

Rice. 2. Roman god Cupid.

Greek and Roman gods are similar in many ways and have the same functions. They differ only in names. In addition, legends and myths Ancient Greece also spread to Roman religious culture.

Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, experts in esotericism and occultism, authors of 14 books.

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