Pompeii and Herculenum: Religon and Death

Question 1

What’s the major influence on Roman religion?

Answer 1

The influence was Greek religion

Question 2

Who is in the triad of Roman gods?

Answer 2

Jupiter (protector of the state), Juno (protector of women), Minerva (patroness of craftsman).

Question 3

Which Greek gods are identical to the Roman triad?

Answer 3

Zeus, Hera and Athena.

Question 4

Which temples are at the Pompeiian forum?

Answer 4

Temple of Apollo, Temple of the Capitoline Triad, Sanctuary of the Public Lares and the Temple of the Genius of Augustus or Temple of Vespasian.

Question 5

Where would be the statures of the Roman deities be placed in their temple?

Answer 5

They would be placed in a cella (an enclosed inner room in a temple).

Question 6

Where and when the worship of Apollo got introduced into Pompeii?

Answer 6

The worship of Apollo was imported into Pompeii during the 6th century BC from Cumae, the leading Greek city on the Bay of Naples.

Question 7

Why did Apollo got his own temple?

Answer 7

The emperor Augustus associated Apollo with his golden age.

Question 8

Who was the patron goddess of Pompeii?

Answer 8

Venus

Question 9

How influential was she in Pompeii?

Answer 9

Images of her are placed at houses, taverns and shops around the city. Men who wanted to ascend to higher political power would make promises associated with Venus’ name.

Question 10

Which building, ironically, was damaged the most in the eruption?

Answer 10

The temple dedicated to the worship of Athena.

Question 11

When was the Imperial Cult first introduced?

Answer 11

The Imperial Cult was introduced at the reign of Augustus.

Question 12

Who was recruited and from which class is recruited from to fill in for the Imperial Cult?

Answer 12

Augustales (21 part-time priests) and their class that is recruited is the Freedmen.

Question 13

What is the headquarters of the Imperial Cult?

Answer 13

Collegium Augustalium is the name of the headquarters of the Imperial Cult.

Question 14

Which gods are worshipped at the home?

Answer 14

The Lares are the ones who get the home worship privilege?

Question 15

What is the public representation of the Lares?

Answer 15

The Lares Publici were designated for public worship as the protectors of the crossroads.

Question 16

Which objects were located at the Temple of the Lares?

Answer 16

The stature of the genius of Augustus alongside ten young dancers, a representation of the Lares.

Question 17

Who did the Temple of Vespasian used to dedicate their worship to?

Answer 17

Fortuna used to be worshipped by the Temple of Vespasian.

Question 18

What does the Temple of the Genius of Augustus is sometimes referred to?

Answer 18

The Temple of the Genius of Augustus sometimes get called the Temple of Vespasian.

Question 19

When was the epithet ‘Augusta’ added to the goddess Fortuna?

Answer 19

The epithet ‘Augusta’ was added in 3BC.

Question 20

Who erected the epithet ‘Augusta’?

Answer 20

It was erected by the Duumvir Marcus Tullius.

Question 21

What was the significance of Marcus Tullius erecting the epithet?

Answer 21

It reveals the connection between politics and religion in Roman society.

Question 22

Which building in the Pompeiian forum was dedicated to the Julian clan of Augustus?

Answer 22

The Edifice of Eumachia by the priestess of the same name.

Question 23

What was the purpose of the Imperial Cult?

Answer 23

The purpose of the Imperial Cult is to promote stability in the empire through worship of the emperor.

Question 24

Who were the Augustales?

Answer 24

The Augustales were a group of twenty-one part-time priests and their job is to be supervisors of the Imperial Cult.

Question 25

What are the three buildings that was dedicated to the Imperial family in the forum of Pompeii?

Answer 25

The Temple of the Genius of Augustus, the Lares Publici and the Edifice of Eumachia was the three buildings that was dedicated to the Imperial Cult.

Question 26

Who was responsible for the part of the public ritual?

Answer 26

The Flamens and Augustales was responsible for part of the rituals.

Question 27

How does the part of the public ritual, supervised by the Flamens and Augustales, proceed?

Answer 27

The ritual started off with the head priest signalling for absolute silence and the initiation started off with the head priest coating the sacrificial knife and head of the animal with salted flour or mola salsa.

Question 28

What were the specific rules following the public ritual?

Answer 28

The entrails, which was dedicated to any god, were burned and offered up in worship.

The rest of the flesh was divided among the participants, according to social status.

The priests receive the best cuts of the meat.

Question 29

Where was the origin of the mystery cults in Pompeii and Herculaneum?

Answer 29

The origin of the mystery cults came from the Hellenistic world, places such as Greece, Macedon and Egypt.

Question 30

What classes of society were responsible for the spread of these mystery cults into Roman society?

Answer 30

The merchants, soldiers and slaves was responsible for the spread of the mystery cults into Roman society.

Question 31

Why do people seek out these mystery cults?

Answer 31

Because people feel like their offical religion was too impersonal to their own needs and wanted to feel a connection to one or many deities.

Question 32

Which two mystery cults were the most popular in Herculaneum and Pompeii?

Answer 32

The most popular mystery cults were the cult of Iris and cult of Dionysus/Bacchus.

Question 33

Which classes of society did the cult of Isis and Dionysus/Bacchus find initial popularity in before they became mainstream?

Answer 33

The women and slaves were the ones who became participants in the cults before it became widespread.

Question 34

What evidence does it show of the mystery cults’ popularity in Pompeiian and Herculaneum’s society?

Answer 34

The motifs, objects and paintings associated with the cult of Iris and Dionysus/Bacchus were judged to be evidence of the popularity of the mystery cults with the citizens of Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Question 35

What attitude, did most worshippers of Bacchus have in terms of being in the cult?

Answer 35

Most worshippers just has a causal approach to the worship of Bacchus, celebrating by sex and getting drunk.

Question 36

How is Bacchus depicted in wall paintings?

Answer 36

Bacchus was depicted with vines in his hair and carrying a staff tipped with a pine cone.

He was accompanied by Satyrs, half beast half man.

Question 37

What were the oldest Satyrs and the youngest Satyrs called?

Answer 37

The older Satyr was called Sileni and the younger Sileni was called Satyrisci.

Question 38

Where and when was the best group of paintings which survived to the modern world?

Answer 38

The paintings of Bacchus were drawn in the Villa of Mysteries and was created at the time of Augustus.

Question 39

Which Roman gods were given the task of protecting the household?

Answer 39

The Lares were the ones who’ve been given the task of protecting the household.

Question 40

What were the Lares usually depicted as?

Answer 40

The Lares were usually depicted as a pair of dancing youths in short country tunics, holding a drinking horn of plenty in one hand and a dish or wine bucket in the other.

Question 41

Who are the household guardians?

Answer 41

Lares, Penates, Genius, Vesta, Bacchus, Mercury, Agothodemon (a Snake).