PR-2237IRE Ancient Rome

Roman Gods and Goddesses
The Romans inherited many gods and goddesses
from the Greeks and some from other countries,
like the Egyptian gods Isis and Serapis and the Persian
god Mithras. The Etruscans introduced the Greek gods
to the Romans, who adopted them but gave them
Roman names, so Zeus became Jupiter and Demeter
became Ceres. The Romans made animal sacrifices on
altars outside the temples in order to satisfy their gods,
as they believed that earthquakes, lightning, storms
etc. were signs that the gods were displeased. They
thought certain gods protected groups of people like
farmers, craftsmen or the dead.
To worship their gods they
built temples, each
containing a statue of a
particular god. Most Roman
temples were rectangular in
shape but some were
circular, like the Temple of
Vesta where Rome’s sacred
flame was constantly
Temple altar
burning.
Priests looked after the temples and special priests called
‘augurs’ explained what the gods meant by signs like
the shapes of clouds or flights of birds
1. Underline the key words in the passage above.
2. Use these words to complete this myth about Ceres, goddess of agriculture.
mother angry return fertile Saturn journey agriculture
barren third taught seeds took search persuaded
eating flowers delighted carried ailing underworld
Ceres was the daughter of the god
1
. While her own daughter was gathering
2
she was seized and
3
off by the god Pluto to his
4
of the dead. Ceres was very
5
and made the earth
6
before setting off to
7
for her daughter, Proserpina. On her
8
she saved the
9
son of King Celeus. Ceres
10
the boy away with her and
11
him all about
12
. The gods
13
Pluto to return Proserpina to her
14
but he tricked her into
15
some special pomegranate
16
so she had to spend one
17
of the year in Hades.
Ceres was
18
about her daughter’s
19
and made the earth
20
again.
Emperors were thought to have godlike
qualities and some of the more
popular ones like Augustus were
worshipped as gods after they died.
Wealthy citizens had shrines
designed like tiny temples in their
homes or gardens and worshipped
their chosen gods by offering small
gifts such as wine or fruit.
Household
shrine
Each god had a feast day (or days)
when celebrations were held in the streets for the
Roman citizens. Prayers to the gods were private and
silent and heads were covered with a toga as the citizens
faced the rising sun. The Romans also believed in spirits
who represented natural features like hills, rivers etc.
For centuries the Romans persecuted the Christians,
who believed in only one God. The Christians were
blamed for the great fire which destroyed parts of Rome
and, as they refused to bow down to statues of Roman
gods, hundreds were arrested, burnt to death or thrown
to the lions in the public arena. To escape their
persecutors or to worship in secret, the Christians would
often hide in tunnels called catacombs, which spread
for hundreds of kilometres beneath the city of Rome.
Viewing Sample
Prim-Ed Publishing www.prim-ed.com Ancient Rome – 29 –