OLD ROMAN GODS

OLD ROMAN GODS

Before they became Romans, the Latin tribe had their own gods of the woodland, hearth, harvest, storms, clear skies, and budding time, all of these they carried with them throughout their long history. The names of these gods might change but they always remained at the heart of Roman religion. Many of these minor gods and spirits left a rich legacy in their names: Genius* , (a spirit which protects an individual all through life);

Faunus* (woodlands); Pomona* (orchards, especially apples); Silvanus* (timber lots and boundary stones); Pales* (guarded shepherds); Robigus* (brought blight to crops). There were many ghosts of the dead (remnants of the beliefs of the Etruscans) Manes*, who

hovered endlessly and had to be propitiated. Many magic spells and incantations survive into republican times.

There are really two different forms of worship among the Romans, that of the household and that of the state. Both make use of the lessons from the Etruscans concerning omens, auspicious signs and rituals.

The high priest of the household is the paterfamilias (father of the family). He has the power of life and death, his word is law and through him the gods work. He is guardian of the family, making the ritual offerings to the lares* (spirits of the land) and penates* (spirits of stored food), the guardian spirits of the home. They foster gaiety and good living and are invoked especially when the family sits together at a meal. They survive down into the middle ages and may be found even today in Italian villages. Other aspects of their religion differed from the Greeks. They were extremely rigid in their religious views. There were rites for everything and these had to be accurately done in every detail. If anything went wrong the whole thing had to be done over from the beginning. The Romans would adopt this rigidity in doing rituals correctly.

In founding a new city the Etruscans* followed specific religious rites, beginning with a shaft in the center (this was supposed to lead directly to the underworld) called mundus (as were the heavens). The mundus shaft was covered with a great stone ("the stone of souls") which was raised on special days, for depositing the first fruits and on the three days the dead were allowed to mingle with the living. The notion of the "center" of town was enormously significant for the Etruscans. (We might note that the Greeks did none of this. They did, however, believe in the importance of the idea of the omphalion, the navel of the universe. Stone representations of the omphalion can be found all over and were regarded as sacred by many cultures.)

The city is planned in a circle with two main thoroughfares which intersect at the mundus shaft, dividing the city into quarters. This division is then subdivided into many wedges of the circle. [This city plan can be seen in Washington, D.C.] The circular view and its divisions reflects their view of the universe. Each segment of the heavens has its own meaning and diviners search the heavens carefully for omens. The word temple comes from the Etruscans and originally meant that part of the heavens in which omens are found. The Romans love the temple idea and build them everywhere and for every possible purpose.

The Etruscans* were crazy about music, dance, and the same range of theatrical farces, mimes, etc. we found in early Greece*. They took to Greek theatre in a big way and did a lot of their own variations of farces. The Etruscan variations will be adopted by Rome.

For two hundred years the Etruscans*, Greeks* and Carthaginians* rival each other in commerce and piracy throughout the Mediterranean. On the mainland of Italy Etruia* expands and builds cities at Bologna, Rimini and Ravenna and Spina on the Adriatic*.