religious beliefs Flashcards
Romans believed that all things were controlled by
numina (spirits and deities)
What did Romans do to ensure that numina used power for good?
offerings of food and wine, animal sacrifice
How did Romans communicate their wishes to the numina?
make promises, prayers known as vota
Did all levels of society practice vota?
yep. often there wer even public ceremonial prayers with expensive sacrifices
what were some of the things Romans asked for?
successful business deal, safe voyage, birth of a child, good weather for good crops.
Vesta?
spirit of the hearth
Lares and penates?
spirits of the household
What kinds of presents did Romans offer?
dedicated inscriptions, plaques with thankful inscriptions
why were organs like the liver inspected?
to interpret whether the person was in favor with the gods or not….omina
augures?
a type of divination..predictions made based on the flight of birds.
The Romans promoted the worship of which god?
Jupiter and his family of gods (Apollo, Diana, Mars, Venus, Ceres, Juno, Minerva)
The emperor always held what religious position?
chief priest, Pontifex Maximus
why was there always a piper player at the emperor’s rituals.
to drown out noise, which was considered bad luck.
In what 2 ways did the Roman state use religion to foster Romanization?
- they tolerated the beliefs of other cultures as long as it didn’t threaten their rule. 2. the cultures were encouraged to worship the genius of the emperor.
What is the “genius” of the emperor?
genius - the protecting spirit of the emperor.
what goddess is the genius spirit linked to?
Roma
How were these emperor worships practiced?
alters erected in honor of the emperor, 2. deification of the emperor after death, 3 temples built to deify a deceased emperor.
Were these religious romanization tactics successful?
yes. it made roman rule feel more acceptable which reduced uprisings and encouraged people to work hard to promote their careers.
What was another popular form of religion, besides this state religion?
astrology - events were controlled by the position of the stars/planets.
the position of the stars at a person’s time of birth is called?
horoscope
when roman religious sites are excavated, sometimes small sheets of lead are found inscribed with?
defixiones - curses. meant to punish an enemy.
what was the method for putting a curse on someone?
- name the offender, 2. detail the crime, 3. dedicate the offender to a god (who was called on to punish this offender), 4. roll the completed tablet and fasten to a tomb with nails or throw into a spring/well.
Many curse tablets were found in what spring?
Aquae Sulis (about 90 tablets)
what 2 things did romans do to intensify the curse?
write it backwards or meaningless words were added, like abracadabra
what were 2 symbols often drawn on these tablets to indicate death?
- urn and 2. torch
omina?
belief that gods would give warnings of impending death or danger as a means to help romans avoid the upcoming obstacle.
