Roman Religion Flashcards
What did the Romans sacrifice
They sacrificed animals to the gods in hope of something in return . People thought giving the gods sacrifice would keep them on good terms and give them a better chance of their prayers being answered. Also to honour gods at festivals and thank them for success
What is haruspex
He would be present at important sacrifice and would watch the way in which the victim fell. They would observe the smoke and flames when parts of the victim were placed on the altar fire and would cut the victim open and examine its entrails especially the liver to look for anything unusual and would then interpret anything they saw and announce to the sacrifices whether the signs were favourable . This is known as divination , attempts to discover the future
What is another type of divination
Performed by Priests known as augurs who made predictions based on observations of the flight of birds they would note the direction of flight and wether the birds flew together or speratley what kind of birds they were or what noises they make
What was the Roman state religion
A variety of gods , demigods , spirits , rituals and ceremonies whose origin and meaning were a mystery to worshippers themselves . Roman state respected the variety of gods and goddesses but promoted the worship of Jupiter and his family. This were closely linked with Greek deities.
Who were Roman ritual and ceremonies organised by
Colleges of priests and other religious officials many of whom were senators and festivals and sacrifices were carried out by them on behalf of the state. The emperor always held the posiyion of chief priest . Great attention was paid to the details of worship. Everyone had to stand still and quiet . A pipe player was employed to drown noises and cries
How did religion correspond with romanisation
Romans tolerated religious beliefs and practices unless they were thought to threaten their rule or relationship with gods . They encouraged their subjects to identify their own gods with Roman gods who share the same characteristic
What did Roman religion say about the emperor
To encourage acceptance of Roman rule was the worship of the emperor. This did not occur in time itself but the people of the provinces of the Roman Empire often regarded the rulers as divine and payed honours to the Roman emperors. Alters were erected in honour of Rome and the emperor when an emperor died he became a God and temples were built to honour him
How did promoting Roman religion and emperor worship improve romanisation
Became popular with upper and middle classes who looked to time to promote their careers . Helped the people accept Roman rule , reduce uprising and make provinces feel like they all belonged to one great empire
