远程研修估算吴正宪:Ancient Rome and Religion

Religion played a veryimportant role in the daily life ofAncient Romeand theRomans. Roman religion wascentred around gods and explanations for events usually involved the gods insome way or another. The Romans believed that gods controlled their lives and,as a result, spent a great deal of their time worshipping them.
The most important god wasJupiter. He was the king of gods who ruled with his wife Juno, the goddess ofthe sky. Other gods were:
Mars God of War
Mercury The messenger of the gods
Nepture God of the Sea
Janus God of the Doorway
Diana Goddess of Hunting
Vesta Goddess of the Hearth
Minerva Goddess of Healing and Wisdom
Venus Goddess of Love
After the reign of theEmperor Augustus (27 BC to AD 14), the emperor was also considered to be a godand he was worshipped on special occasions. Each god had a special festival daywhich was usually a public holiday. This holiday gave people the opportunity tovisit the temple for whichever god was being celebrated. At this temple, priestswould sacrifice animals and offer them to the god.

Animals being led to slaughter at a temple sacrifice
Temples to worship the godswere built throughout theRoman Empire. Templesusually always followed the same building pattern. The roof was triangularshaped and supported by great pillars. Steps led up to the main doorway that wasusually built behind the pillars. The inside of the temple would have been verywell decorated and there would have been a statue of the god in it. There wouldalso have been an altar where a priest would have served the god and madesacrifices. People called augurs could also be found in the temples. Thesepeople used the entrails of the dead animals to predict the future. The Romanstook these predictions very seriously and few ignored the advice of an augur.
Each familyhomewould also have a small altar and shrine. The Romans had personal household godsor spirits called 'lares' which were worshipped every day at home. The shrinecontained statues of the 'lares' and the head of the household led familyprayers around the shrine each day. The service was considered so important thatfamilyslaves were also invited. It is believedthat most Romans were more keen to please their 'lares' than the public godssuch as Jupiter.