Did the Romans believe in a god?
The Romans believed in a lot of gods and made offerings to them for protection and blessing. But why so many gods? Find out below:
Watch and find out why the Romans believed that gods and goddesses looked after all aspects of their lives.
ANITA: The Romans in Scotland; gods and beliefs.
Hello, my name’s Anita, my mum's a history professor and my dad’s an engineer, he likes ruins too. I’ve got a project for school about the Romans and we’re in Bearsden, north of Glasgow, looking at the ruins of a fort.
So, what was this place? It looks like a church.
MUM: No, this was a fort where soldiers lived. Romans weren’t Christians until long after they’d left Scotland.
ANITA: Did the Romans believe in God?
MUM: Many gods! Imagine…
Back in 150 AD a group of Roman soldiers are going on a dangerous mission, north of the Antonine Wall into enemy territory.
They need all the luck they can get so they make an offering to the Roman goddess of luck, Fortuna.
The soldier pours away precious wine that’s come all the way from his homeland, Gaul - what we now call France.
ANITA: What? Would a Roman Goddess come to Earth and drink wine?!
MUM: Maybe not physically but, spiritually. That’s the whole idea behind offerings. You offer something to a god to gain something from them. Like a blessing and protection.
ANITA: What other Roman gods were there?
MUM: The Romans had HUNDREDS of gods. The soldiers want to fight well? Pray to the god of war, Mars.
Travelling at night, through the country side and needing protecting from wild animals? Pray to Diana, the goddess of all three.
Offerings were made on special stone tables called alters. Alters to Fortuna, Mars and Diana and many more gods were found in forts along the Antonine Wall. And the Romans had great respect and fear of ALL gods.
Not just the Roman gods they worshipped. They would have feared the local gods of the Caledonian tribes too, and their priests, the ‘druids.’
The Romans feared magical attacks as much as physical ones. We know this because the Romans used a LOT of lucky charms to protect themselves. If you had been a Roman child around then, you’d have worn a talisman around your neck. Every child had one.
DAD: Religion and magic both offered Romans hope of protection. They lived in a world which was scary and mysterious. And they always feared the ‘evil eye!’
ANITA: What’s the evil eye?
DAD: That’s how your teacher looks at you when you talk in class.
ANITA: GASP That bad?
What gods did Romans have?
The Romans had many gods and goddesses – they almost had one for every occasion.
The Romans believed that each god was responsible for certain things. For example, Mars was seen as the god of war and Fortuna was the goddess of luck and fortune.
The principle gods that all Romans would worship were Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.
- Jupiter was the main god who oversaw all aspects of life
- Juno was his wife who was responsible for all women
- Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, crafts, and the arts
Many of the Roman gods and goddesses are borrowed and adapted from the gods the ancient Greeks believed in.
Rome succeeded the Greeks as the dominant empire and, after taking control of their lands, the Romans adopted many of their customs and beliefs.
Jupiter, for example, was very similar to the Greek god Zeus.
What did Roman soldiers believe in?
Romans took their beliefs very seriously and so most Roman forts would have had temples or altars where offerings could be made to the gods
As men who would fight battles, Roman soldiers would have given frequent offerings to the god of war – Mars.
Mars was a very important god to the Romans. He was seen as the god who protected the city of Rome and he was also believed to be the personal guardian of the emperor.
Mars was so important to the Romans that, as well as all the feasts and shrines dedicated to him, the Romans named a month after him - what we now call March.
Why did soldiers worship Mithras?
Another god who was very popular with Roman soldiers all over the empire was a god called Mithras.
The worship of Mithras began in the Middle East in what is now Iran.
Parts of the Middle East were controlled by the Roman Empire, and it is thought that Roman soldiers based there helped to make the god popular across the rest of the empire.
Followers of Mithras met in underground meeting places called Mithraeum. The followers would hold mystical rituals and enjoy elaborate feasts. Offerings would be made to Mithras to protect them from harm and to bring them blessings.
Ruins of these meeting places have been found in Scotland and at forts along Hadrian’s Wall. One such Scottish ruin can be found in the remains of the Roman fort at Inveresk in East Lothian, at the far eastern edge of the Antonine Wall.
Key words
- Jupiter - the main god of the Romans. He was very similar to the Ancient Greek god, Zeus.
- Mars - the Roman god of war. He was seen as the god who protected Rome.
- Mithras - a god worshipped by Roman soldiers. Mithras was a Middle Eastern god who became popular across the whole Roman Empire.
- Mithraeum - places where people met to worship Mithras.
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