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-as of [21 MARCH 2024]–
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“GODS” –>
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*GODDESSES*
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-‘religion’ in ‘ancient rome’ includes the ‘ancestral ethnic religion’ of the city of ‘rome’ that the ‘romans’ used to define themselves as a ‘people’, as well as the religious practices of peoples brought under ‘roman rule’, in so far as they became ‘widely followed’ in ‘rome’ + ‘italy’-
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(the ‘romans’ thought of themselves as ‘highly religious’, and attributed their success as a ‘world power’ to their ‘collective piety’ (pietas) in maintaining ‘good relations’ with the ‘gods’)
(the ‘romans’ are known for the great # of ‘deities’ they honored, a capacity that earned the mockery of ‘early christian polemicists’)
(aka ‘the most jewish of christians’)
(the presence of ‘greeks’ on the ‘italian peninsula’ from the beginning of the ‘historical period’ influenced ‘roman culture’, introducing some ‘religious practices’ that became as ‘fundamental’ as the ‘cult of apollo’)
(the ‘romans’ looked for ‘common ground’ between their ‘major gods’ and those of the ‘greeks’ (interpretatio graeca), adapting ‘greek myths’ + ‘greek iconography’ for ‘latin literature’ + ‘roman art’, as the ‘etruscans’ had)
(‘etruscan religion’ was also a major influence, particularly on the practice of ‘augury’)
(according to ‘legends’, most of rome’s ‘religious institutions’ could be traced to its founders, particularly ‘numa pompilius, the ‘sabine’ 2nd king of ‘rome’, who negotiated directly with the ‘gods’)
“sure he did…”
“you keep telling yourself that and see where it gets you…”
“here’s hoping it’ll get you GOOD!”
(remember ‘all’s ‘well’ that ends ‘well’…)
and well…
with that said…
(this ‘archaic religion’ was the foundation of the mos maiorum, “the way of the ancestors” or simply “tradition”, viewed as central to ‘roman identity’)
(‘roman religion’ was ‘practical’ + ‘contractual’, based on the principle of do ut des, “i give that you might give”)
(religion depended on ‘knowledge’ and the correct practice of ‘prayer’, ‘ritual’, and ‘sacrifice’, not on ‘faith’ or ‘dogma’, although latin literature preserves ‘learned speculation’ on the nature of ‘the divine’ and its relation to ‘human affairs’)
(even the most skeptical among rome’s ‘intellectual elite’ (such as ‘cicero’), who was an ‘augur’, saw religion as a source of ‘social order’)
(as the ‘roman empire’ expanded, migrants to the capital brought their local cults, many of which became popular among ‘italians’)
(‘christianity’ was in the end the most successful of these, and in 380 became the ‘official state religion’)
(for ordinary romans, religion was a part of ‘daily life’)
(each home had a ‘household shrine’ at which ‘prayers’ + ‘libations’ to the family’s ‘domestic deities’ were offered)
(‘neighborhood shrines’ + ‘sacred places’ (such as ‘springs’ + ‘groves’) dotted the city)
(the ‘roman calendar’ was structured around ‘religious observances’)
(‘women’, ‘slaves’, and ‘children’ all participated in a range of ‘religious activities’)
(some ‘public rituals’ could be conducted only by ‘women’, and women formed what is perhaps rome’s most famous ‘priesthood’, the state-supported ‘vestals’, who tended rome’s ‘sacred hearth’ for centuries, until disbanded under ‘christian domination’)
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(“give us back our ‘vestals’!”)
(“you vandals!”)
(“come hither!”)
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*👨🔬🕵️♀️🙇♀️*SKETCHES*🙇♂️👩🔬🕵️♂️*
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💕💝💖💓🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤❤️💚💛🧡❣️💞💔💘❣️🧡💛💚❤️🖤💜🖤💙🖤💙🖤💗💖💝💘
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*🌈✨ *TABLE OF CONTENTS* ✨🌷*
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🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥*we won the war* 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥