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# Roman Religion

# Roman Religion

## Overview
Roman religion was a polytheistic system that evolved from early Italic and Etruscan traditions, heavily influenced by Greek religion, and centered on state ritual, augury, and the maintenance of *pax deorum* (peace with the gods).

## Key Facts
- Period: ~8th century BCE – ~4th century CE (suppressed under Christianity) <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Type: Polytheistic, with later imperial cult <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Key institutions: Pontifex Maximus, Vestal Virgins, College of Augurs <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Influenced by: Etruscan religion, Greek religion <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->

## Major Deities
- Jupiter: King of the gods (Greek Zeus) <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Juno: Queen of the gods (Greek Hera) <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Mars: God of war (Greek Ares), father of Romulus <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Minerva: Goddess of wisdom (Greek Athena) <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Venus: Goddess of love (Greek Aphrodite), ancestor of the Julian family <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Neptune, Mercury, Diana, Apollo, Vulcan, Ceres @t[~1998] [^1] <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->

## Key Practices
- Augury: Reading divine will through bird flight, entrails, and omens <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Vestal Virgins: Six priestesses maintaining the sacred flame of Vesta <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Imperial cult: Deification of emperors beginning with Julius Caesar (42 BCE) @t[=42 BCE] <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- *Religio*: Proper observance of ritual obligations to maintain divine favor @t[~2003] [^2] <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->

## Mystery Cults
- Cult of Isis (from Egypt) <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Mithraism (from Persia, popular with soldiers) <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->
- Cult of Cybele (from Anatolia) <!-- reviewed:2026-02-23 -->

---
[^1]: Beard, M. et al. *Religions of Rome* (Cambridge, 1998)
[^2]: Scheid, J. *An Introduction to Roman Religion* (Indiana, 2003)---

## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 21: "Neptune, Mercury, Diana, Apollo, Vulcan, Ceres [^1]" - Beard source from 1998 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Beard et al. (1998) findings are still accepted by modern historians.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 27: "*Religio*: Proper observance of ritual obligations to maintain divine favor [^2]" - Scheid source from 2003 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Scheid (2003) findings are still accepted by modern historians.