Culture and Religion
Culture and religion were both very important aspects to early Roman life. The Roman religion was a blend of many different influences. As the Greeks worshiped gods, so did the Romans. Early Ancient Rome had their own gods and rituals, but that changed as time moved on. When the Romans encountered a god from another culture, they blended that god’s characteristics with those of their god. For example, the Greek god Zeus was renamed to Jupiter, but had the same characteristics. Romans had one common goal in religion: to please their gods. They believed that gods controlled their daily life, and since they did so, the Romans did not want to upset the gods. They made offerings, sacrificed animals, and made promises to the gods. For food, they offered honey cakes and fruit. When they sacrificed animals, they generally only sacrificed bulls, sheep, and oxen. Also, when other community members became ill, Romans would leave a small offering for the gods at a religious temple. This offering would be object in the shape of the hurt or injured part of the body. Special festivals or holidays were held at various times throughout the year. At the family altar in each house, gods and spirits were honored that day. Also, the family hearth was sacred to the goddess Vesta. At the main meal of the holiday, a small cake was thrown into the fire as a sacrifice. At one time in Roman history, the society honored their emperors just as much as they worshiped their gods. Though they had these religious beliefs in their early days of being a civilization, their main beliefs have changed much over time.