Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, are one of the most exciting topics for any archaeologist and researcher.
The ancient civilizations of these countries with their religions
and mythologies have always been the subject of research with particular interest
and the main focus directed at their Ancient Gods.
Gods with purely human vices and passions, whose names continue to be found in our modern times and life.
Who are the Greek gods and their counterparts in Roman mythology?
Why did the Roman religion copy from the Greek?
Where do these two religions intersect and diverge?
Stay with us until the end to interpret together and learn more about the world of the ancient gods.
CONSCIOUSNESS
Like all early civilizations, the Greeks have their myths and legends, beginning with the creation of the world,
passing through the origin of the universe, and ending with man's appointed place in it.
Greek stories about gods and heroes are the result of a cultural symbiosis that occurred after the arrival
of the Achaeans on Greek soil around 2000. BC
We begin our study with the ancient Greek myth of the Origin of the World, which tells of the emergence of the gods.
Thanks to the ancient Greek poets Homer and Hesiod and their works,
we get a glimpse of the ancient idea of the origin of the world.
There is no doubt, Chaos was born first and after it came Gaia the broad-breasted, the firm seat of all
the immortals who hold the peaks of snowy Olympos,
and the misty Tartaros in the depths of broad-pathed earth and Eros, the fairest of the deathless gods.
Thus Hesiod begins his account of the origin of the gods in his work called Theogony.
In the beginning, there was only the eternal, impenetrable Chaos. From him came the goddess Gaia - Earth.
The mighty Gaia gave birth to Uranus - the vast Sky.
Chaos created Tartarus - a dark element, and Eros - love.
Chaos also gave birth to Erebus - Darkness and the Black Night.
From them came Ether - Light and Hemera - Day. From then on, night and day began to alternate.
From the union between Uranus and Gaia, six sons and six daughters were born - the Titans and the Titanids.
At the suggestion of his mother,
the youngest son Kronos castrated his father and from the drops of blood that fell on the ground
the three Erinyes were born - the goddesses of revenge; the giants, and the nymphs.
The removed virility of Uranus is thrown into the sea, and from the resulting sea foam, Aphrodite is born.
Thus Kronos stood in the place of Uranus along with his wife and sister Rhea.
To keep his place, he devoured each of his newborn children, while his wife Rhea decided to hide their sixth child, Zeus.
Zeus took revenge on his father, for the death of his brothers, who then emerged alive and well from Kronos' belly.
Thus the Olympian gods are in fact the third generation, and Zeus - the father of all gods and men.
He shares power with his brothers: Poseidon - the god of the seas and oceans and Hades - the god of the underworld.
Let us now make a comparison with the Roman religion.
Many people believe that the Roman gods were borrowed from the Greeks.
Despite the similarities, however, according to experts,
the main differences between the two religions stem from differences in thinking.
According to them, Rome actually adopted that part of the religion
that was most appropriate to the historical situation at the given time.
In Rome, there is no tradition of spreading myths about the creation of the world and the origin of gods and men,
like the one laid down in Ancient Greece.
For the Romans, what's important is the reality. People's lives, the change of seasons, the routine.
Anything that disturbs the normal order of life or nature is taken as a bad omen or a breach of peace with the gods.
The Romans believed that if the sky was calm and there were no natural elements, then the gods were happy.
An important role is played by soothsayers who decipher and interpret the will of the deities.
The Roman religion has no theology of its own, which may be considered a disadvantage,
due to the fact that it does not provide an explanation of important questions such as those concerning
the origin of the world, which every man asks himself.
Eventually, some myths arose in the Roman religion, as if charged with the task of providing the answers
to important questions for the people or to be a good example for the citizens and a role model.
Thus the Roman religion adopts the Olympian gods by changing their names, but not their features and character.
The numerous examples in the art of Ancient Greece testify to how important of a place religion
and gods occupied in people's lives.
Thanks to the many sculptures, reliefs, and richly decorated ceramic vessels,
today the world of ancient Greek myths and legends is revealed to us.
According to mythology, Olympus is the mountain where the twelve ancient Greek gods live.
They possess an immortal essence and extraordinary power.
Along with this, however, they also possess many human qualities.
Zeus
First among the gods, father, and lord of gods and mortals. With his faithful thunder and lightning, He is the ruler of the sky.
In Ancient Greece, he was accepted as the supreme God of justice and mercy, protector of the weak,
and punisher of the bad.
We can judge his image by the sculptures and busts left from ancient times,
on which he is depicted with long hair and a beard,
as well as with attributes such as an eagle, a shield, and a double edged axe.
In the Roman pantheon, Zeus' name was changed to Jupiter, the God of the sky, storms, and thunder.
The Roman religion also gave it other functions. He is the defender of freedom,
the guardian of borders, the patron of emperors.
Some of the epithets with which Jupiter was called are Celestis - heavenly; Lucetium – light; Victor - giver of victory;
Term - guardian of the borders; Libertas – guardian of freedom; Fulgurator - lightning and many others.
Researchers believe that it is some of these epithets that speak of him being the successor of an older deity.
Hera
sister and wife of Zeus and mother of one of his children, Ares.
She is the protector of married women. Many shrines are dedicated to her,
which testifies to the widespread cult towards her personality.
Her Roman counterpart is Juno. Like Hera, Juno is Jupiter's wife and sister.
Patron of married women, women in childbirth, and goddess of marriage.
A temple was erected in her honor on one of the seven hills of Rome - the Capitol.
They also call the goddess Juno Lucina - patroness of motherhood and Juno Moneta - protector.
Apollo
He personifies male beauty and virtues. He is the God of the arts, fertility, medicine, divination, and the Muses.
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto.
His cult was spread throughout Greece, and temples dedicated to him were everywhere.
Apollo is the only Greek God who did not change his name entering the Roman Pantheon.
Athena
patroness of the city of Athens.
Born from the head of her father Zeus, she is the goddess of war and guardian of cities.
As a deity of wisdom, her symbols are the snake and the owl.
The ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and war was Minerva.
She is part of the Capitoline Triad along with Jupiter and Juno.
Minerva is also the patroness of crafts, arts, and sciences.
Her image is represented with a helmet, shield, and necklace in hand.
Poseidon is the God of the seas and brother of Zeus.
Among the Olympian gods, he is second in power to his brother.
Protector of sailors, navigators, and fishermen, ruler of storms and earthquakes. Poseidon's attribute is his trident.
In Roman mythology, Neptune is the god of the seas, and his brother is Jupiter.
As the patron of all waters, it depends on him that the waters of the seas are calm,
as well as the number of fish in them, and even earthquakes.
The god Neptune is depicted as a strong and majestic man with long hair and a beard.
Aphrodite
the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty.
There are several versions of her origin.
One of them is, as we have already mentioned,
that Aphrodite was born from the foam formed in the sea by the masculinity of Uranus thrown there.
Another version says that she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
Aphrodite symbolizes the vital beginning of the universe, and her cult is widespread.
The Roman goddess of beauty and love is Venus. In mythology, she is also the goddess of spring, life, and fertility.
She was the wife of the god Vulcan and mother of Cupid.
The Romans depicted Venus as a young, beautiful woman with long hair.
We can see her image in many works of ancient Greek and Roman art,
and one of her most vivid images is in the Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli's painting
The Birth of Venus from the 15th century.
Hephaestus
Blacksmith God, patron of the iron craft.
He is the son of Hera, who banishes him from Olympus because he is ugly and lame.
As the Blacksmith God, he embodies the power of fire, and his distinctive symbol is the anvil.
Paradoxically to his appearance, his wife is the most beautiful of goddesses – Aphrodite.
His counterpart in Roman mythology is Vulcan, whose wife is the goddess Venus.
God Vulcan is the patron of fire and blacksmiths.
According to mythology, his forge is located deep beneath Mount Etna in Sicily.
There under the volcano, he forged Jupiter's thunderbolts and Diana's arrows.
Demeter
the goddess of agriculture and fertility.
Daughter of Kronos and Rhea, who was deeply revered in ancient Greek religion,
in regions where agriculture was the main livelihood.
In Roman mythology, she is known as Ceres.
In addition to being worshiped as a fertility goddess, the Romans believed that she was the patroness of motherhood,
marriage and of the underworld.
Ares
God of war, personifying the destructive and warlike nature of man.
He is the son of Zeus and Hera.
Because of his negative nature, his cult is not very widespread and shrines dedicated to him are rarely found.
In ancient Rome, the God of war and second in importance after Jupiter was Mars.
Also revered as the protector of the city.
In Roman mythology, his character was not perceived as negatively as in Greek,
as Mars was believed to be the protector of crops, livestock, and farmers.
Later, under the influence of Greek culture, Mars was associated with battles and war,
but rather as the personification of military power.
Artemis
Apollo's twin sister. Goddess of the hunt and mistress of wild animals.
Her attribute is the bow. She is considered a virgin and protector of chastity.
The goddess Diana is the equivalent of Artemis in Roman mythology.
As a goddess of the hunt she is depicted with a bow and arrows.
She is the guardian of wild animals and protector of young unmarried women.
Dionysus
son of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele.
God of viticulture, wine, and feasting.
In Greek culture, wine has an important role,
and its consumption occupies an important place in the cult of Dionysus.
It is believed that thanks to wine, a mortal can reach a spiritual experience in which he leaves his body and the material world.
That is why, according to some researchers,
the essence of Dionysus is to make the connection between gods and mortals through a state of ecstasy.
Bacchus is the Roman god of wine and fertility.
He is depicted with vines and ivy.
In Roman mythology, Bacchus was considered a liberator, because drunk on wine,
people had the freedom to say or do what they wanted.
Bacchus is also pointed out as the patron of the theatrical arts.
His image is widespread in fine art, and scenes related to him can be seen on numerous ceramic vessels and reliefs.
Hermes
messenger of the gods, protector of travelers and commerce.
His attributes are the herald's staff - a magic wand with two coiled snakes and wings,
with which he moves quickly to deliver the news.
Hermes is described in myths as the only god who can move freely to the Underworld.
That is why he was assigned the role of a guide for the souls of the dead to the underworld.
According to the mythology of Rome, Mercury was the swift-footed messenger of the gods.
Patron of merchants, travelers, and thieves.
Here ends our journey through the world of Ancient Religion and Mythology from ancient Rome and Greece.
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