Roman Religion

     Rome was a polytheistic culture. They got most of their gods, like many things, from the Greeks and the Etruscans. They built temples to honor the gods and sacrifice to them in, even stealing some from the Etruscans. But they mostly stole from Rome.
     There were many similarities to Greek gods in Roman religion. For the Greeks, the head god was Zeus. The Roman version of him was Jupiter. His wife was Juno, or the Greek Hera. Some more stolen gods and goddesses were these. Venus was like Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Mars was like Ares, the god of war. The goddess of hunting was Diana, the Greek Artemis. The goddess of war and wisdom was Minerva, the Greek Athena. Pluto was the Roman version of Hades, god of the Underworld. The god of the sea was called Poseidon in Greece or Neptune in Rome. The messenger of the gods, the Greek Hermes, was Mercury in Rome. 
     The Romans sacrificed to their gods to stay in favor with them. They gave the gods meat sacrifices, as well as fruit and cheese, depending on the god or goddess. For example, "Mars demanded a ox, a pig and a sheep." (Sacrifices) Or Jupiter needed cows. There were specific days and regulations regarding sacrifices. Luckily, an animal they did not sacrifice was humans. Some Romans worshipped in their homes. For instance, if a woman was having a child, she would pray to Juno, protector of women.
     The Romans made many astrological discoveries and named them after gods. That's how we got our planets today of Mars, Pluto, Neptune, and Jupiter, for instance. The planet Mercury got its name because it moves quickly and Mercury was the messenger god. Venus is bright and beautiful, named after the goddess of beauty. Neptune is a blue planet, named after the sea god.
     The Romans stole many things in their culture from the Greeks, including their religion. However, they tried to make it seem like their own by renaming the gods. For example, they stole the king of the sky, Zeus, and renamed him Jupiter. Their polytheistic rituals, like Greece's, included worship and sacrificing. Whenever they discovered planets, they named them after gods, as if thanking them. Rome was very good at copying, yet we give them credit for initial inventions.

Greco-Roman Architecture

     "The  ancient Romans were masters of Architecture." The society and building style in Rome was influenced greatly by the Sumerians, Greeks, and Etruscans. In turn, the Romans have influenced us. How Rome created the masterpieces they did is still a mystery to many architects today. The Romans built on the earlier accomplishments of earlier civilizations and truly perfected them.
     The Romans used the Greeks' three types of columns and types, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. But the Greeks simply erected columns with a roof on top. The Romans wanted to build bigger structures with something more than monotonous columns. So, they invented the arch, spreading out the weight more evenly. The arch may have been of Etruscan invention, but the Romans first applied it, and they did so with elegance. "Roman arches enabled the ancient Romans to rear vast edifices with the humblest materials, to build bridges, aqueducts, sewers, amphitheatres, and triumphal arches, as well as temples and palaces."
     "Though the Romans did build temples to their gods, the Roman style was more predominantly seen in public dwellings and social gathering areas, such as basilicas and forums, than in their temples." Temples to the gods was more of a Greek thing; the Romans did not care as much about impressing the gods with outward style and eloquence, but with the paintings and lighting inside.
     Another brilliant Roman invention is the public bath. They invented a way of keeping the rooms heated by circulating heat from stoves through rooms and under floors, even creating a sauna. The baths had pools for different temperatures of water, rooms for changing, and after a bather was done washing himself, he could go to another room to get a massage with oil. The bath was a luxurious ancient hang out.
    The Romans did not necessarily invent everything we give them credit for. But, they used their heads and applied other civilizations' ideas. Back then, they may not have known that  thousands of years later they would get false credit for creating the arch when all they were doing was upgrading to the next best thing. Their focus on the inside rather than impressing the gods may have been laziness or rebellion for all we know. Maybe their baths were all they really cared about. What will civilizations years from now will think of us? Are we giving too much credit to the Romans?