Ancient Religion Flashcards
There was no formal scripture or set of beliefs that everyone had to follow
The Greeks and Romans did not look to religion for their moral code, they had their laws for that. For them action was more important than belief; doing the right thing and treating the gods in the correct way so that they were favourable towards them.
They had a pessimistic view of the afterlife
The Underworld was a dark and gloomy place. The present life was what mattered most.
They had no concept of conversion
In fact the Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and accepted the worship of other gods, even merging their own gods with those of other cultures. The only exceptions were Judaism and Christianity as they believe in only one god.
What does polytheistic mean?
They believed in many gods each responsible for a specific area of life
What does anthropomorphic mean?
The gods were presented as having a human appearance as well as human flaws and weaknesses.
What was the relationship between humans and gods?
Humans were not expected to love the gods but to honour and respect them.
Offerings and sacrifices to the Gods
Both the Romans and the Greeks believed in offering gifts to the gods, the most common form of offering was the sacrifice of an animal (a blood sacrifice). They made these offerings so that the gods would give them something or do something for them in return
What was Roman religion influenced by?
The Etruscans and the Greeks
Religion in Roman politics
Religion played a fundamental role in Roman politics; politicians and generals never took a major decision without consulting the gods first
What was the Imperial Cult?
The Roman tradition of worshipping their emperors as if they were gods. It encouraged loyalty and devotion to the emperor.
Rules about worshipping the emperor in Italy and Rome
In Italy and Rome the emperor could only be worshipped after his death, but his genius (guardian spirit) could be worshipped while he was living. It was the successor’s job to choose whether or not to deify the dead emperor, some unpopular emperors did not become gods.
Who was the first Roman ruler to be deified?
Julius Caesar in 42 BC by his successor Octavian. This benefitted Octavian as he could now call himself ‘divi filius’ (son of a god).
3 key differences of ancient religion from modern religion
- religion was a central part of the lives of the ancient Greeks and romans
- there was no scripture or set of beliefs/ moral codes
- Greeks and Romans believed in a reciprocal relationship with the gods
Polytheism definition
the belief in many gods
anthropomorphism definition
giving human characteristics and features to non-humans
imperial cult definition
the Romans worshipped their emperors as gods
genius definition
guardian spirit (the emperor’s genius could be worshipped while he was still alive)
Emperors views towards to imperial cult
Augustus discouraged people from worshipping him, whilst the Caligula had a temple with a gold statue of himself made
