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
Q

In each family, who was the household priest and in charge of family worship?

A

The pater familias.

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26
Q

Who was the protecting spirit of both a country and a town household?

A

The Lar Familiaris

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27
Q

In the country, where were the lares/guardian spirits of the fields worshipped?

A

At crossroads by the owners and tenants of the land that met there.

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28
Q

Where were the Lares of the Crossroads worshipped in towns?

A

At street-corner shrines in different precincts.

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29
Q

Instead of the single lar of the _________ period, we later find two lares.

A

Republican

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30
Q

What is a lar represented as?

A

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.

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31
Q

What were the penates?

A

Protecting spirits of the storeroom.

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32
Q

What replaced the old penates in household shrines after the Republic?

A

Images of gods that each family chose to honour in its private devotions.

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33
Q

In the shrines of shrines with two lares, what is the genius of the pater familias sometimes represented as?

A

A man with a toga drawn over his head as for worship.

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34
Q

What animals is a genius commonly represented by?

A

A serpent.

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35
Q

According to Numa, second of the seven kings, what was Roman religion?

A

The organization of worship and the assignment to the calendar of the proper festivals in due order.

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36
Q

What is a convenient designation for the religion of the early State?

A

The religion of Numa.

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37
Q

Numa is said to have organized the first what?

A

The first priestly colleges and to have appointed the first flamines.

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38
Q

Who were the three most important flamines Numa is said to have appointed?

A

The priest of Jupiter, and the priests of Mars and Quirinus (deified Romulus).

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39
Q

In shrines where the genius is represented by a serpent, what two figures will you find?

A

A bearded one standing for the genius of the father, and the other for Juno of his wife.

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40
Q

Which deity was worshipped at the hearth?

A

Vesta, spirit of the essential fire of man’s existence.

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41
Q

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?

A

Yes, it followed the hearth to the kitchen.

42
Q

Besides the kitchen, where else in the house are shrines found?

A

The garden or peristyle, the atrium, or other rooms.

43
Q

When did devout Romans pray and sacrifice?

A

Every morning.

44
Q

When was the usual time for family devotions?

A

The pause at dinner before desert.

45
Q

What times of the month were sacred to the lares, and what happened on those days? (3) (3)

A

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
Q

What offerings were made on days sacred to the lares? (3)

A

Incense and wine were the usual offerings, but when possible, a pig was sacrificed.

47
Q

Of the early gods of the Roman state, which one was the greatest?

A

Jupiter.

48
Q

Who was Jupiter, and where was he worshipped?

A

He was the light-father and worshipped on hilltops.

49
Q

Which god would men call to witness their agreements?

A

Jupiter

50
Q

Who was Saturn?

A

God of the crops.

51
Q

What was Venus concerned with (besides love)?

A

Gardens

52
Q

For what two things was Mars worshipped for?

A

Agriculture and war.

53
Q

Where was the first temple in Rome built? Who built it? For whom was it built?

A

The first temple at Rome was built on the Capitoline Hill by the Etruscans for the worship of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.

54
Q

Where did Minerva have her own temple?

A

On the Aventine.

55
Q

Who was Diana? [hint: not Artemis]

A

A wood spirit from Aricia in Latium.

56
Q

Where did Hercules come from?

A

He came from nearby Tibur as god of commerce.

57
Q

Where were Castor and Pollux from?

A

Tusculum

58
Q

Where did Mercury, god of commerce, come from?

A

Cumae

59
Q

Which three deities were brought in on the Sibylline oracle’s suggestion in 493BC?

A

Bacchus, Ceres and Proserpina.

60
Q

Who suggested bringing in three new gods from Greece and why?

A

The Sibylline oracle, because of the famine in 493 B.C.

61
Q

Where did Apollo come from and when was his temple built?

A

He came from Cumae, and his temple was built in 432 B.C.

62
Q

When was the worship of a god of medicine brought from Epidaurus to the island in Tiber?

A

The worship of Aesculapius in 293 B.C., a time of pestilence.

63
Q

What was the beginning of the movement toward Oriental religions?

A

The adoption of the cult of Cybele.

64
Q

Who is Cybele, and how was she brought to Rome?

A

The Asiatic Magna Mater (aka Cybele), was brought by the State from Phrygia in 205 B.C., during the Second Punic War.

65
Q

Why was it ordained that Romans should never be Cybele’s priests?

A

When the orgiastic (debauched) nature of her worship became known.

66
Q

What did Augustus do when he restored order to the State in regards to religion?

A

He stressed a religious revival as part of his reconstructive policy of repairing and rebuilding temples and reviving old rites and priesthoods.

67
Q

What three things naturally encouraged the introduction of Eastern rites and the spread of their influence in Rome?

A

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
Q

Why did mystery religions gain strength in Rome? (4)

A

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
Q

Where did the worship of Isis come from, and with who was it popular?

A

The worship of Isis was brought by the Egyptians from Alexandria and it was especially popular among the lower classes.

70
Q

Where did Mithraism come from? (2)

A

Captives from the Eastern campaigns, and with troops who served or had been enlisted in the East.

71
Q

Where was the first appearance of Christianity in Rome, and where did it come from?

A

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
Q

In what age did the worship of Emperors become popular? With whom did it start?

A

In the Imperial Age, from the deification of Julius Caesar.

73
Q

The idea for the movement for the deification of Julius Caesar originated where?

A

In the Oriental countries, as the ruler was thought to be divine.

74
Q

How did worship of the genius of the Emperor spread through Rome and its provinces?

A

It began in the East, was then established in the West, and finally in Italy.

75
Q

The worship of the Emperor in his lifetime was encouraged at Rome.

A

False, it was not permitted.

76
Q

How did the government react to the Christians refusal to emperor worship?

A

It was regarded as treason, but their offence was political, as opposed to religious.

77
Q

What types of religions or beliefs replaced or were practised side by side with the traditional Roman religion? [4]

A

Philosophy, orgiastic cults from the Orient and Greece, Christianity and Emperor worship.

78
Q

How many vestal virgins were there?

A

Six

79
Q

Why did Roman religion change from animism? [2]

A

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
Q

What are ‘sacra’?

A

Rites

81
Q

From what Greek sanctuary was Aesculapius brought to Rome?

A

Epidaurus

82
Q

Where was the atrium vestae located?

A

Next to the Temple of Vesta in the forum

83
Q

Who held the office of Pontifex Maximus in Imperial times?

A

The Emperor

84
Q

What was worshipped in the State as the genius of the father was worshipped in the household?

A

The genius of the Emperor

85
Q

Who were members of the “office of the King of rites”? [4]

A

The rex sacorum, three flamines, the college of high priests and the Pontifex Maximus.

86
Q

What were flamines?

A

Priests of special gods

87
Q

What island became the home of Aesculapius?

A

The island of Tiber

88
Q

What mystery religion was carried from camp to camp by the army?

A

Mithraism

89
Q

In regards to religion, why is Numa to be remembered?

A

He left his personal impress of religion and the calendar.

90
Q

During which time period were a lot of ceremonies and priesthoods gotten rid of?

A

During the civil wars.

91
Q

Who were the priests in charge of Emperor worship?

A

The Augustales

92
Q

Who was the god of crops in the early Roman State religion?

A

Saturn

93
Q

Who was the second of the Seven Kings of Rome

A

Numa

94
Q

What happened to a Vestal after her 30 years of service?

A

She could either retire to private life, or stayed in her position because of the privileges and dignities it provided

95
Q

Why was it so important for Romans to follow their religion exactly?

A

If a Roman didn’t maintain household rites and rituals, then the gods would take their displeasure out on the State.

96
Q

What led to the introduction of Greek gods and rituals to the Romans? [2]

A

Contact with the Greeks and identifying old Roman gods with the Greek gods that seemed most like them.

97
Q

How is the genius of the pater familias represented on household shrines? [2]

A

As a man with a toga drawn over his head as if for worship, or represented by a serpent.

98
Q

What movement was spurred on by the introduction of the cult of Cybele?

A

The movement towards Oriental religions

99
Q

Who took on the priestly duties of a King once the monarchy was abolished?

A

Office of king of rites was instituted, pontifex maximus at the head (under the Empire, emperor was regularly pontifex maximus).

100
Q

How many lares replaced the single lar of the Republican period?

A

Two

101
Q

What were the four duties of a Vestal Virgin?

A

Learn and perform duties, train younger Vestals, tend to the sacred fire and take part in festivals of the old calendar