roman mythology

There are many Roman-Greek frescoes depicting mythological tales such as the love relationship of Mars and Venus behind Vulcan's back. In fact Greek mythology provided a strong driving force to the Roman pantheon of deities and myths in much the same way that it had influenced the Etruscans.

A relatively amusing example of this influence is emperor Commodus' love for being called "The Roman Hercules" and having himself portrayed with a club and lion skin in clear reference to Greek hero demigod. Marc Anthony did much the same although this was much more of a propagandistic move as he later realigned himself with the festive Dionysus-Bacchus.

The cult of Bacchus imported from Greece was a phenomenal success with its followers and the extreme debauchery caused the authorities to stamp it out with force. The result of both cult and its repression was a huge number of civilian deaths including the suicides of those who couldn't bear the public disgrace.

The cult's major claim to success was that it didn't require solemn sacrifice and prayer. The reunions were held in secret at night and involved deafening music, plenty of drinking, eating and drugs. Sounds like a modern student party huh?

The next part is the worrying bit: The sacrificial victims, which were the staple fodder of any religion of the time, were the novices who would be told to attend a reunion after ten days abstention from sexual activity. On the night they would be drugged and serially raped by the other attendants. Sexual union was meant to bring contact with the divinity itself and often resulted in orgy, rape and murder. It is not surprising that the authorities punished the attendants with an equally impressive carnage.

Greek influence penetrated Roman religion not only because of its abundance of fresh "godly" material but also because of its representation of the deities which were gradually taking on increasingly human connotations. In spite of this the Romans seem to have held a firm hand on the "supremacy" of their own deities over those of Greece and other lands. This is most poignant when we consider the practice of "evocatio".

Here's a lovely picture of the god Mercury wearing his traveler's clothes - Hermes for the Greeks I think.

Ancient Roman Gods | ancient roman religion | The Gods of Rome and Politics | Christianity in Ancient Rome |

Roman history | Roman Army | Ancient Roman Weapons | Rome Total War | Roman Emperors, Caesars and Leaders | caligula | augustus | Julius Caesar | Cleopatra | Emperor Nero |
Roman Empire | Economy of Ancient Rome | Roman Coins | Roman Art |Roman Architecture | Roads and Building | Hadrians wall |
Roman Government & Law | Social Structure and Class | Romans | Slavery | Senate |
Ancient Roman Religion | Pantheon | Roman Gods | Goddesses | god Jupiter | mars |Goddess Venus | hercules | Rome Vestal Virgins | Roman Catholic Church | Christian Persecution in the Roman Empire |
Roman Games, Sport and Leisure | Gladiators | Colosseum | Circus Maximus and Chariot Races | Roman Baths | Prostitution and Orgies in Ancient Rome|
Many aspects of Ancient Roman Life | Shopping | roman numerals | toga party |
About Rome Geography and City | Map of Ancient Rome | Maps |Pictures of Ancient Rome| Index of Ancient Rome | free screen savers | Ancient Pompeii |

Please email us if you feel a correction is required to the Rome information provided. Please read the disclaimer

"roman mythology" was written by Giovanni Milani-Santarpia for www.mariamilani.com - Rome apartments