I

• While Rome was still a city-state, Roman religion was the religion of the original inhabitants of the city, with deities worshipped by the tribes settled in Rome.
• Worship of mother goddesses and nature forces was prevalent, with Roman gods similar to those of neighboring Latin tribes, and Etruscan influence discernible.
• As Rome acquired a distinct identity, many religious practices became uniform, with a common religion emerging by the time the Republic was founded.
• Jupiter, the king of gods, was the supreme deity of the city, and Mars, the god of war, was another prominent god.
• A large temple dedicated to Jupiter was built on the Capitoline Hill around the time of the abolition of the monarchy, becoming the main sanctuary of state religion.
• Roman religion was polytheistic, worshipping many deities simultaneously, and well-organized by the start of the republic.
• Under the monarchy, the kings presided over state rituals and were titled rex sacrorum (king of sacred rites), a title transferred to a high priest after the Etruscan monarchy was overthrown.
• In the republic, the rex sacrorum had no political role and was a purely religious official, chosen from the patriciansand appointed for life.
• The position of rex sacrorum was soon replaced by the title of pontifex maximus.
• Roman religious practices included prayers, festivals, and sacrifices, especially animal sacrifices to propitiate the gods, with prayers following strict formulas.
• Major religious events were public and collective, and state-organized worship was supervised by official priests, with inhabitants of subordinate territories participating.
• Foretelling the future was a key feature of Roman religion, with regular consultations of oracles and priests interpreting them.
• Auspicium, or bird-watching, was a form of divination, with augurs specializing in predicting the future based on bird flight patterns.
• Another method of foretelling the future was by observing the stomach of a sacrificed animal to determine whether the sacrifice was accepted by the gods.
• Religion was formally part of the Roman state, with religious affairs regulated by institutions that were part of the state structure.
• Official priesthood positions were initially monopolized by patricians, and comitia quinate played a key role in electing priests.
• The state religion was managed by a board of priests known as pontifices, initially with three members, growing to sixteen by Julius Caesar’s time.
• By c. 300 BC, half of the pontifices were elected from the plebeians.
• The pontifex maximus, the president of the board, was elected for life and held significant political authority, particularly sought after by leading politicians.
• Under the Second Triumvirate, Lepidus became pontifex maximus and retained the title even after his political retirement.
• Augustus sought the title of pontifex maximus after becoming princeps in 27 BC and succeeded Lepidus in 12 BC, consolidating his power by controlling Roman religion.
• The major Roman gods included Jupiter, Juno (his wife), Neptune, Venus, Mars, Pluto, Saturn, Minerva, Apollo, Mercury, Vulcan, Vesta, and Diana.
• Juno, Venus, Minerva, Vesta, and Diana were goddesses.