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.