Back to Ancient Rome for Kids The Romans believed in lots of gods. There were gods for just about everything. The Romans even took on many of the gods of the people they conquered. They especially liked the Greek gods. Many Romans had a shrine in their house to worship their personal household god.Roman Gods The Romans adopted much of Greek Mythology into their own. They took most all of the Greek gods, gave them Roman names, and then called them their own. Here are a few of major Roman gods that came from the Greeks:
Early Roman mythology tells the story of how Rome was founded by two twin gods named Romulus and Remus. Romulus and Remus both wished to found a new city. Romulus wanted to found it on Palatine Hill, but Remus disagreed and wanted to found it on Aventine Hill. They had a fight and Romulus killed Remus. Romulus then founded the city of Rome and created the Roman legion as well as the Senate. Imperial Cult The Imperial Cult worshiped the Emperors of Rome. Starting with Julius Caesar, who ended the Roman Republic and became dictator, the emperors of Rome were deified, or turned into god status. This was a way for the leaders of Rome to become even more powerful. Most of the emperors were made into gods except for certain bad ones like Nero and Tiberius. This practice lasted up until Emperor Constantine who converted to Christianity. Christianity Since the Romans had many gods and the Christians believed in just one true God, Christians were often persecuted by Rome. At one point they were told to either worship and sacrifice to the Roman gods or they would be killed. Many were killed in the arenas by lions. When Emperor Constantine came into power he converted to Christianity and the persecution stopped. Temples There were many temples in Rome and throughout the Roman Empire. They were generally built for a single god and had a statue of the god at the center. The most important temple in Ancient Rome was the Temple of Jupiter located on Capitoline Hill. The Pantheon was a temple to all the Roman gods. There were also temples built to the Emperors such as Julius Caesar and Augustus. Festivals The Romans held festivals and holidays to celebrate their gods. They would often have games and a large feast to celebrate. Some important festivals that the Romans celebrated were Lupercalia, Saturnalia, and the Consualia. Take a ten question quiz at the Ancient Roman Gods and Goddesses questions page. More information on the civilization of Ancient Rome:
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