stage 23 culture

Question 1

What was a Haruspex and what were his duties at a public sacrifice?

Answer 1

a diviner
- watched sacrifices
- observed flames and smoke when the sacrifice was put onto the altar
- examined entrails (liver)
- look for discoloration, size, shape, texture, and spots on the liver and interpret what they meant & if the gods were pleased

ie: Memor

Question 2

augur

Answer 2

a priest who made predictions based on the flight of birds
- direction, number of birds, type of birds, noises the birds made

Question 3

who was the pontifex maximus

Answer 3

another name for the emperor (aka the chief priest)

Question 4

When might regular people offer sacrifices?

Answer 4

• honor gods at a festival
• thank them for a success or escape from danger
• keep a promise
• hoping for a successful business deal, safe voyage, or birth of a child

Question 5

essay question

Answer 5

how religious practices changed:
- romans generally tolerated the religious beliefs and practices of their subjects unless they threatened their rule of relationship with the gods
- encouraged subjects to identity with their gods (ie: Sulis Minerva)
- built temples for emperors and gods
- encouraged worship of leader (divine kinship, worshipped genius - protecting spirit of the emperor)

positive effects:
- began worshipping the roman emperor - HELPED MAKE ROMAN RULE ACCEPTABLE, REDUCED CHANCE OF UPRISINGS, MADE PROVINCES FEEL UNITED

negative effects:
- temples for the emperor were seen as oppression
- temples were also seen as a waste of money
- didn’t help the lower class

Question 6

describe a visual of a sacrifice

Answer 6

• everyone had to stand still and quiet
• every word had to be pronounced correctly or the ritual had to be restarted
• a pipe was being played to drown out the noises of the sacrifice (was unlucky to hear)
• a diviner (haruspex) and priest are present