Curated category
Ancient Roman religion
- De DivinationeMarcus Tullius Cicero wrote De Divinatione in 44 BC. This date marks the final year of the Roman Republic before its collapse into empire.
- Magic in the Greco-Roman worldIn 13 BCE, the Roman emperor Augustus ordered the burning of 2,000 magical scrolls. This act of destruction highlights a central tension in the ancient…
- VagdavercustisA stone altar stands in a museum in Cologne today. It dates from around the 2nd century CE. The inscription on this stone names a goddess called…
- Religion in ancient RomeReligion in ancient Rome was not a private matter of personal belief. It was the connective tissue of an entire civilization, woven into law, politics…
- PaganismPaganism is a word that carries the weight of centuries of argument, misuse, and reinvention. Before the 20th century, no one actually called themselves a…
- Rhea SilviaNumitor, king of Alba Longa, had a daughter named Rhea Silvia. Her bloodline traced back to Aeneas, the Trojan hero who fled the burning city of Troy.
- Roman imperial cultIn 77 BC, loyalist Romans in Further Spain burned incense to the proconsul Metellus Pius as if he were a god. They organized a lavish banquet with imported…
- Roman templeThe Temple of Portunus in Rome stands today as a quiet testament to the architectural lineage that shaped ancient civilization.
- Genius (mythology)A man in ancient Rome stood at the hour of his birth and felt a divine presence follow him until death. This guardian spirit, known as genius, accompanied…
- ApotheosisIn 42 BC, the Roman Senate voted to deify Julius Caesar after his assassination. This decree came from his adopted son Octavian, who later became Augustus.
- Villa of the MysteriesThe Villa of the Mysteries stands 400 meters northwest of Pompeii's town walls. It sits between Via Delle Tombe and Via Superiore, two roads lined with…