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Religion Flashcards

1
Q

What was the original religion of the Romans?

A

Animism- a belief in spirits or powers (numina) associated with everything surrounding man and all its acts.

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2
Q

The spirits of the early Romans were not personified and not imagined in human form.

A

True.

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3
Q

How were old rural festivals indicated in calendars?

A

They were indicated by larger letters than later ones.

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4
Q

Who built the first temples in Italy and set up the first statues of the gods?

A

The Etruscans

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5
Q

When did the educated classes begin to turn from religion to philosophy?

A

Around the end of the Republic.

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6
Q

Under the Empire, when Oriental religions became established, how did that affect the State religion?

A

The worship of Emperors came to be the distinguishing feature of the State religion.

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7
Q

What were priestly colleges?

A

Groups of priests organized to perpetuate certain rites.

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8
Q

Who and what were ‘salii’?

A

Salii (dancing priests), made up an old and famous college that worshipped Mars.

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9
Q

Which priestly college were dedicated to the god of war, Mars?

A

Salii

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10
Q

Which priestly college was in charge of the worship of Quirinus?

A

Salii Collini

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11
Q

Who took care of the calendar and assigned dates for festivals?

A

The pontifices.

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12
Q

What was the role of the augures?

A

They interpreted the will of the gods.

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13
Q

Which college was in charge of the Sibylline books, and what was their importance?

A

The Commission of Fifteen was in charge of them, and they foretold the history of Rome.

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14
Q

What was one of the oldest and most famous colleges, and who was in charge?

A

The college was that of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, and run by the six Virgines Vestales.

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15
Q

Where was the sacred fire of Vesta and what did it symbolize?

A

The sacred fire was on the altar of Aedes Vestae (temple of Vesta), and it symbolized the continuity and life of the State.

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16
Q

Describe the original shape of the Temple of Vesta.

A

Round, with a pointed roof.

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17
Q

What was the Temple of Vesta made up of in its final development?

A

Marble and bronze.

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18
Q

Was there a statue of Vesta in her temple?

A

No.

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19
Q

Why was were flint and steel never used to rekindle the sacred fire?

A

The ritual demanded the traditional use of friction.

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20
Q

How long did each vestal virgin serve?

A

30 years.

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21
Q

What were the five main requirements for becoming a vestal virgin?

A

One had to be a girl from a suitable family, not younger than six or older than ten, physically perfect, of good character and had both parents living.

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22
Q

What two things happened to a girl on appointment of being a Vestal Virgin?

A

She was freed from her father’s authority, and went to live in the House of the Vestals (Atrium Vestae) beside the Temple of Vesta in the Forum.

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23
Q

How did the Vestal Virgins spend their thirty years in service?

A

10 years in learning their duties, 10 years in performing them, and 10 years in training younger vestals.

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24
Q

What were some of the duties of a vestal virgin? (2)

A

Caring for the sacred fire, and taking part in most festivals of the old calendar.

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25
In each family, who was the household priest and in charge of family worship?
The pater familias.
26
Who was the protecting spirit of both a country and a town household?
The Lar Familiaris
27
In the country, where were the lares/guardian spirits of the fields worshipped?
At crossroads by the owners and tenants of the land that met there.
28
Where were the Lares of the Crossroads worshipped in towns?
At street-corner shrines in different precincts.
29
Instead of the single lar of the _________ period, we later find two lares.
Republican
30
What is a lar represented as?
A boy dressed in a belted tunic, stepping lightly as if dancing, sometimes with a bowl in his right hand and a jug upraised in his left.
31
What were the penates?
Protecting spirits of the storeroom.
32
What replaced the old penates in household shrines after the Republic?
Images of gods that each family chose to honour in its private devotions.
33
In the shrines of shrines with two lares, what is the genius of the pater familias sometimes represented as?
A man with a toga drawn over his head as for worship.
34
What animals is a genius commonly represented by?
A serpent.
35
According to Numa, second of the seven kings, what was Roman religion?
The organization of worship and the assignment to the calendar of the proper festivals in due order.
36
What is a convenient designation for the religion of the early State?
The religion of Numa.
37
Numa is said to have organized the first what?
The first priestly colleges and to have appointed the first flamines.
38
Who were the three most important flamines Numa is said to have appointed?
The priest of Jupiter, and the priests of Mars and Quirinus (deified Romulus).
39
In shrines where the genius is represented by a serpent, what two figures will you find?
A bearded one standing for the genius of the father, and the other for Juno of his wife.
40
Which deity was worshipped at the hearth?
Vesta, spirit of the essential fire of man's existence.
41
Originally, when the atrium was the only room the Romans lived in, the shrine was located there. When a separate kitchen was added, did the shrine move?
Yes, it followed the hearth to the kitchen.
42
Besides the kitchen, where else in the house are shrines found?
The garden or peristyle, the atrium, or other rooms.
43
When did devout Romans pray and sacrifice?
Every morning.
44
When was the usual time for family devotions?
The pause at dinner before desert.
45
What times of the month were sacred to the lares, and what happened on those days? (3) (3)
On the Kalends, Nones, and Ides of each month, garlands were hung over the hearth, the lares were crowned with flowers, and simple offerings were made.
46
What offerings were made on days sacred to the lares? (3)
Incense and wine were the usual offerings, but when possible, a pig was sacrificed.
47
Of the early gods of the Roman state, which one was the greatest?
Jupiter.
48
Who was Jupiter, and where was he worshipped?
He was the light-father and worshipped on hilltops.
49
Which god would men call to witness their agreements?
Jupiter
50
Who was Saturn?
God of the crops.
51
What was Venus concerned with (besides love)?
Gardens
52
For what two things was Mars worshipped for?
Agriculture and war.
53
Where was the first temple in Rome built? Who built it? For whom was it built?
The first temple at Rome was built on the Capitoline Hill by the Etruscans for the worship of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.
54
Where did Minerva have her own temple?
On the Aventine.
55
Who was Diana? [hint: not Artemis]
A wood spirit from Aricia in Latium.
56
Where did Hercules come from?
He came from nearby Tibur as god of commerce.
57
Where were Castor and Pollux from?
Tusculum
58
Where did Mercury, god of commerce, come from?
Cumae
59
Which three deities were brought in on the Sibylline oracle's suggestion in 493BC?
Bacchus, Ceres and Proserpina.
60
Who suggested bringing in three new gods from Greece and why?
The Sibylline oracle, because of the famine in 493 B.C.
61
Where did Apollo come from and when was his temple built?
He came from Cumae, and his temple was built in 432 B.C.
62
When was the worship of a god of medicine brought from Epidaurus to the island in Tiber?
The worship of Aesculapius in 293 B.C., a time of pestilence.
63
What was the beginning of the movement toward Oriental religions?
The adoption of the cult of Cybele.
64
Who is Cybele, and how was she brought to Rome?
The Asiatic Magna Mater (aka Cybele), was brought by the State from Phrygia in 205 B.C., during the Second Punic War.
65
Why was it ordained that Romans should never be Cybele's priests?
When the orgiastic (debauched) nature of her worship became known.
66
What did Augustus do when he restored order to the State in regards to religion?
He stressed a religious revival as part of his reconstructive policy of repairing and rebuilding temples and reviving old rites and priesthoods.
67
What three things naturally encouraged the introduction of Eastern rites and the spread of their influence in Rome?
The weakening of old Roman stock, the constantly increasing number of Orientals in the West, and the campaign of Roman armies in the East.
68
Why did mystery religions gain strength in Rome? (4)
Their rites of purification, the promise of happiness after death, the increasing numbers of Orientals in the West, and the campaign of Roman armies in the East.
69
Where did the worship of Isis come from, and with who was it popular?
The worship of Isis was brought by the Egyptians from Alexandria and it was especially popular among the lower classes.
70
Where did Mithraism come from? (2)
Captives from the Eastern campaigns, and with troops who served or had been enlisted in the East.
71
Where was the first appearance of Christianity in Rome, and where did it come from?
The first appearance of Christianity in Rome was among the lower classes, in particular the Orientals, and it came to Rome from the East.
72
In what age did the worship of Emperors become popular? With whom did it start?
In the Imperial Age, from the deification of Julius Caesar.
73
The idea for the movement for the deification of Julius Caesar originated where?
In the Oriental countries, as the ruler was thought to be divine.
74
How did worship of the genius of the Emperor spread through Rome and its provinces?
It began in the East, was then established in the West, and finally in Italy.
75
The worship of the Emperor in his lifetime was encouraged at Rome.
False, it was not permitted.
76
How did the government react to the Christians refusal to emperor worship?
It was regarded as treason, but their offence was political, as opposed to religious.
77
What types of religions or beliefs replaced or were practised side by side with the traditional Roman religion? [4]
Philosophy, orgiastic cults from the Orient and Greece, Christianity and Emperor worship.
78
How many vestal virgins were there?
Six
79
Why did Roman religion change from animism? [2]
They came in contact with other people and brought the gods of their pantheons into their own, and gods were brought in in times of stress and emergencies
80
What are 'sacra'?
Rites
81
From what Greek sanctuary was Aesculapius brought to Rome?
Epidaurus
82
Where was the atrium vestae located?
Next to the Temple of Vesta in the forum
83
Who held the office of Pontifex Maximus in Imperial times?
The Emperor
84
What was worshipped in the State as the genius of the father was worshipped in the household?
The genius of the Emperor
85
Who were members of the "office of the King of rites"? [4]
The rex sacorum, three flamines, the college of high priests and the Pontifex Maximus.
86
What were flamines?
Priests of special gods
87
What island became the home of Aesculapius?
The island of Tiber
88
What mystery religion was carried from camp to camp by the army?
Mithraism
89
In regards to religion, why is Numa to be remembered?
He left his personal impress of religion and the calendar.
90
During which time period were a lot of ceremonies and priesthoods gotten rid of?
During the civil wars.
91
Who were the priests in charge of Emperor worship?
The Augustales
92
Who was the god of crops in the early Roman State religion?
Saturn
93
Who was the second of the Seven Kings of Rome
Numa
94
What happened to a Vestal after her 30 years of service?
She could either retire to private life, or stayed in her position because of the privileges and dignities it provided
95
Why was it so important for Romans to follow their religion exactly?
If a Roman didn't maintain household rites and rituals, then the gods would take their displeasure out on the State.
96
What led to the introduction of Greek gods and rituals to the Romans? [2]
Contact with the Greeks and identifying old Roman gods with the Greek gods that seemed most like them.
97
How is the genius of the pater familias represented on household shrines? [2]
As a man with a toga drawn over his head as if for worship, or represented by a serpent.
98
What movement was spurred on by the introduction of the cult of Cybele?
The movement towards Oriental religions
99
Who took on the priestly duties of a King once the monarchy was abolished?
Office of king of rites was instituted, pontifex maximus at the head (under the Empire, emperor was regularly pontifex maximus).
100
How many lares replaced the single lar of the Republican period?
Two
101
What were the four duties of a Vestal Virgin?
Learn and perform duties, train younger Vestals, tend to the sacred fire and take part in festivals of the old calendar

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