Page 144 - Western Civilization A Brief History, Volume I To 1715 9th - Jackson J. Spielvogel

culture blamed the Greeks for Rome’s new vices, including a taste for luxury and homosexual practices.
Roman Religion
Every aspect of Roman society was permeated with reli- gion. The official state religion focused on the worship of a pantheon of gods and goddesses, including Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, and Mars. As Rome developed and came into contact with other peoples and gods, the community simply adopted new deities. Hence, the Greek Hermes became the Roman Mercury. Eventually, a complete amalgamation of Greek and Roman religion occurred, giving the Romans and the Greeks essentially a single “Greco-Roman” religion.
Roman religion focused on the worship of the gods for a very practical reason—human beings were thought to be totally dependent on them. The exact performance of ritual was crucial to establishing a right relationship with the gods. What was true for individuals was also valid for the state: it also had to observe correct ritual to receive its reward. The rituals were performed by a college of priests or pontiffs, who thus bore the respon- sibility for maintaining the right relationship between the state and the gods. If the rituals were performed correctly, the Romans would obtain the “peace of the gods.” No doubt the Roman success in creating an empire was a visible confirmation of divine favor. As Cic- ero, the first-century B.C.E. politician and writer, claimed, “We have overcome all the nations of the world, because we have realized that the world is directed and governed by the gods.”1
Just as the state had an official cult, so did families. Because the family was regarded as a small state within the state, it had its own household cults, which included Janus, the spirit of the doorway, and Vesta, goddess of the hearth. Here, too, proper ritual was important, and it was the responsibility of the paterfamilias (pay-ter- fuh-MIL-ee-uss) as head of the family to ensure that religious obligations were properly fulfilled.
Religious festivals were an important part of Roman religious practice. There were two kinds: public festivals ordained and paid for by the state and private festivals celebrated by individuals and families. By the mid- second century B.C.E., six public festivals were celebrated annually, each lasting several days. The practice of hold- ing games also grew out of religious festivals. The games were inaugurated in honor of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (JOO-puh-tur AHP-tuh-muss MAK-suh-muss) (“best and greatest”), the patron deity of Rome, but had become annual events by 366 B.C.E. In the late republic, both the
106 Chapter 5 The Roman Republic
Roman Religion. The Romans considered the proper worship of the gods an important key to success. Pictured here is a second-century C.E. Roman statue of Jupiter. Statues of Jupiter were found in major Roman temples. (Historical Museum, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria//DEA/A. Dagli Orti/Getty Images)
number of games and the number of days they lasted were increased. Originally, the games consisted of cha- riot racing in the Circus Maximus; later, animal hunts and theatrical performances were added. In the empire, gladiatorial contests would become the primary focus (see Chapter 6).
The Growth of Slavery
Slavery was a common institution throughout the an- cient world, but no people possessed more slaves or relied so much on slave labor as the Romans eventually did. Before the third century B.C.E., a small Roman farmer might possess one or two slaves who would help farm his few acres and perform domestic chores. These slaves would most likely be from Italy and be
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