myth and religion booklets

• Ares


  The god of war, described as a merciless killer when Zeus attacked him, representing the raw violence of the fight
• Athena


  The goddess of tactics and control in battle, the opposite of Ares
• Dionysus


  The god of wine and theatre, son of Zeus and the Theban mortal Semele, attracted the wrath of Hera, seen as an outsider and not one of the original Olympians, received a great following from the Greeks, god of the theatre and had his own festival in Athens
• Dionysus is depicted with a thyrsus, vines and an animal skin, and with his companions the maenads and satyrs
• Glossary terms


  • pantheon
  • iconography
  • polytheism
  • anthropomorphism
  • epithet
  • chthonic
  • cornucopia
  • diadem
  • aegis
  • acropolis
  • Parthenon
  • oracle
  • lyre
  • caduceus
  • Thebes
  • thyrsus
  • maenads
  • satyrs
• Before Rome was founded, Italy was inhabited by lots of tribes, some indigenous and others with origins in the wider Mediterranean world
• When Rome was believed to have been founded in 753 BC, one of the biggest and most influential of these tribes was the Etruscans
• The Romans adopted and adapted several aspects of Etruscan culture, namely temple design and divination
• The Greeks, or Hellenes, were living in what we now know as Greece, and also migrated to other areas including southern Italy and Sicily from as early as the ninth century BC
• By 270 BC, when the whole of Magna Graecia came under Roman control, Greek religion and mythology were having a major influence on Roman religious ideology
• Jupiter


  The king of the gods and controller of the skies, equated with the Greek Zeus, his major temple was the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill, typically represented as a bearded man wielding a lightning bolt, can also be shown holding an eagle or seated on a throne with a sceptre
• Neptune


  The god of the seas, earthquakes and storms, linked with horses, an increasingly important god to Roman sailors, traders and travellers, typically represented as a bearded man with a trident
• Pluto


  The god of the underworld, brother of Jupiter and Neptune, made a brief appearance in the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, not often represented in Roman art
• Juno


  The wife of Jupiter, queen of the gods, responsible for marriage, women, childbirth and the family, equated with the Greek goddess Hera, a powerful and wrathful goddess, typically represented wearing a diadem, holding a sceptre or accompanied by a peacock
• Ceres


  The goddess of the harvest and grain, incredibly important to the Roman plebs, had a temple on the Aventine Hill and an annual festival called the Cerealia, depicted wearing a diadem and holding a bundle of wheat, grain or flowers
• Vesta


  The goddess of the hearth and fire, one of the most important goddesses to both the family and the state, the hearth or fire was the central part of the home, Vesta's flame was believed to have been brought to Italy by Aeneas and symbolised the security of the state, rarely depicted in art but shown with a veiled head
• Vulcan


  The god of metalworking, fire and craftsmen, industry and warfare were essential to the Roman way of life, had a festival called the Vulcanalia each year in Rome, crafted the shield that Aeneas used in battle, depicted with a hammer
• Venus


  The goddess of love and beauty, particularly important to the Romans as she was the mother of their ancestral founder Aeneas, the Roman Emperor Augustus linked his own family to Venus and utilised her symbols in his art, depicted naked or accompanied by her son Cupid
• Minerva


  The goddess of war and wisdom, more closely associated with war than Athena, depicted with an owl, helmet, spear and the aegis
• Diana


  The goddess of hunting, childbirth and the moon, also referred to as Phoebe, had a temple and shrine on the Aventine Hill, gained a large following from the urban poor and slaves, depicted with a bow and arrow
• Apollo


  The god of music and the arts, education, archery and prophecies, taken straight from the Greek pantheon, popular among sculptors and poets, favoured by the Roman emperor Augustus who built him a temple in Rome, often depicted with his lyre, in eternal youth
• Mercury


  The god of travel and trade, and messenger of the gods, very important for the protection of travellers, a popular household god due to his role as god of trade and wealth, depicted with his traveller's cap, caduceus and winged sandals
• Mars


  The god of war, also associated with agriculture in early Roman history, very important to the Romans as an expansionist civilisation, the area just outside Rome was known as the Campus Martius, the father of Romulus the founder of Rome, depicted wearing his armour, an important god to the emperor Augustus who built a temple to Mars Ultor (Mars the Avenger)
• Bacchus


  The god of wine and theatre, equated with the Greek god Dionysus, the Bacchanalia mystery cult was introduced to Rome from Greece around 200BC but was later banned, depicted with a thyrsus, vines and an animal skin, often depicted with his companions the maenads and satyrs
• The Roman gods usually stemmed from those of the Etruscans who came before them and were then equated with Greek gods, except for Apollo who had no Etruscan alternative and was taken straight from the Greek pantheon
• Roman religion developed from both the Etruscans and Greeks, with the Romans adopting and adapting aspects of their culture and mythology
• Bacchus


  Roman god, depicted with a thyrsus, vines and an animal skin, often with his companions the maenads and satyrs
• Main Greek gods


  • Zeus
  • Poseidon
  • Hera
  • Hades
  • Apollo
  • Aphrodite
  • Hermes
  • Demeter
  • Artemis

  
• The cult of Bacchus was banned by the Roman state around 186BC due to fears of rebellion, but he remained popular among the Roman lower classes
• Epithets


  Stock phrases used to identify characters in oral poetry
• Epithets used for gods

  • Son of Cronus
  • Earth Shaker
  • Queen of Heaven
  • Dark Haired
  • Owl Eyed
  • Phoebus
  • Goddess of love
  • Slayer of Argus
  • Mother Earth
  • Goddess of the hunt
  • White armed
  • The cloud-gatherer
  • Wise
• Homeric Hymns


  Poems dedicated to the gods, including Heracles, sharing a similar style to the epics of Homer
• Homeric Hymn to Demeter


  • One of thirty-three Homeric Hymns
  • Dated to 7th-6th centuries BC
  • Part of an oral tradition, would have been sung to audiences across the Greek world
• Demeter


  Goddess of the harvest, sister of Poseidon, Hades and Zeus, mother of Persephone
• Persephone


  Daughter of Demeter
• Hades


  Brother of Poseidon, Zeus and Demeter, also called God Who Receives So Many, The Ruler of Many and Receiver of Many
• Zeus


  Brother of Demeter, Poseidon and Hades, also called the Son of Cronos, loud thundering and far seeing
• Daughters of Oceanus


  Daughters of the Titan Oceanus, god of fresh water
• Helios

  God of the sun, pulled the sun across the sky with his chariot
• Hecate


  Goddess of magic, witchcraft and the night