Roman Religious Practices

Roman Religious Practices. Stage 23

Poll

Here is a list of Latin terms we're covering today... Which have you heard of before?

numina

vota

lares/penates

Vesta

• numina

• vota

• lares/penates

• Vesta

Poll

Here is a second list of Latin terms we're covering today... Which of THESE have you heard of before?

haruspex

omina

augures

pontifex maximus

• haruspex

• omina

• augures

• pontifex maximus

Open Ended

In your personal philosophy and belief system, what causes things to happen in life?

Originally, food and wine

As Rome developed, practices included animal sacrifices, gifts, promises of even more offerings

Promises called vota

How to appease numina

numina controlled everything, they inhabited all aspects of life

numina made seasons and life events happen

BUT numina needed to be appeased to guarantee positive life events

numina are divine spirits

Roman beliefs: numina

When should numina be appeased?

Before major life events

General going off to war
Birth of a child
Voyage on the sea
Successful business deal
Weddings

Open Ended

Do you do any religious or philosophical actions like appeasing numina?

Two types of household gods:
ancestral (lares) and related to the pantry/food supply (penates).

Lares & Penates

Food offerings to the goddess of the hearth and family
Festivals to honor the goddess

Vesta

Match

Match the following terms:

• numina

• lares

• vota

• penates

• Vesta

divine spirits

household ancestral gods

promises made to deities

household gods of the pantry

goddess of the hearth

• divine spirits

• household ancestral gods

• promises made to deities

• household gods of the pantry

• goddess of the hearth

haruspex: watch what happens to an animal sacrifice victim during a ceremony
How did it fall? What did the smoke and flames look like when the victim was on the altar in the sacred fire? What do the entrails of the animal look like? Specifically what does the liver look like? Color/ shape/texture?

​

Religious Officials

haruspex: interpretation of omina from the gods

​

priest who watches the flight of birds and makes predictions about the gods’ will based on direction of flight, singularity or crowding of flock, kind of birds, noises made.

​(plural: augures)

augur:

Open Ended

What do you think is the connection between a Roman augur and the English derivative inaugurate?

Open Ended

New Topic...
In the 21st century, is there a connection between religion and government?

Roman government promoted worship of traditional pantheon of deities, e.g. Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Ceres, et al.

Priest and religious officials were state-organized (often featuring senators, like Salvius, in the “Arval Brotherhood” who prayed for the emperor’s family)

Roman State Religion

​Women served as priestesses, too, in positions worshiping Ceres and Vesta (Rufilla served the worship of the emperor)

Women served, too!

CHIEF PRIEST
(also title of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church)

Position held by emperor during Empire
(27 B.C.E. - 476 C.E.)

pontifex maximus

Open Ended

What are the ADVANTAGES of a state-sponsored religion?

What are the DISADVANTAGES of a state-sponsored religion?

Tolerance practiced, though non-Romans were encouraged to consider their own gods with Roman names/equivalents

Moreover, non-Romans were asked to worship the emperor as a god, sometimes also his wife and family as well, in order to show support for Rome in a spiritual sense.

Emperors deified upon their death for ease of worship

Practices were successful in establishing sense of commonality throughout Empire

Romanization with Religion

Match

Match the following terms:

• deified

• pontifex maximus

• augur

• haruspex

• omina

status of emperors after death

chief priest

priest who interpreted birds

priest who interpreted entrails

omens from the gods

• status of emperors after death

• chief priest

• priest who interpreted birds

• priest who interpreted entrails

• omens from the gods

Reorder

These are the most important ideas from the presentation, in my OPINION.

• The Romans' state-level religion served as an important unifying facet of the empire

• The Romans believed in a transactional nature of religion, doing things for deities to get their help

• Romans believed that divine spirits inhabited every aspect of their lives.

• Romans honored their deities with gifts of food, animal sacrifices, and vows.

• Everyday Roman citizens, including senators, served in religious communities.

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