Greek And Roman Religion Essay

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Religion played a key role in many ancient societies including the Romans and Greeks. The daily lives of the people in these two distinct yet in some ways similar cultures were greatly impacted by their religious beliefs.

Both the Greeks and the Romans were polytheistic and had gods or goddesses that controlled many elements. However, the adaptability of the gods and the amount of religious freedom of both cultures varied. In both Greek and Roman society, the gods and goddesses were important and were responsible for the earth, sea, sun, sky as well as various other elements of nature and social life. Both societies had 12 major gods. For the Romans it was Jupiter and 11 others while for the Greeks it was Zeus and the other Olympians. Both
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During the time of the Roman empire many emperors would be made gods. This imperial cult was an important part of Roman life and to neglect it was treasonous. Many emperors had temples and statues built to honour them that the people would have to worship. The Greeks were much stricter and no one other than the Greek gods (not even their kings) were worshipped or deified. The gods and goddesses that they worshipped were never changed or adapted and all Greek citizens were forced to worship the gods. Although their gods and goddess’s names and characteristics were very similar, a varying degree in the influence of the gods and the necessity of prayer differentiates the Roman and Greek gods and …show more content…
There is evidence of Romans inheriting some of the Greek gods. However, at a deeper level there were differences particularly in the daily practices and underlying approach to worship. The Romans legalistic religious rituals were different to the Greek faith based approach. Yet for both, religion significantly impacted their daily lives and the roles of key people within their societies. In this way we could conclude that religion was central to both

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