Home›Roman Deities›Era Attested Start Year›By Century›6th century BCEBrowse By6th century BCEThis page groups deities by the earliest year a surviving written or inscribed source places them, sorting gods by how far back their documented worship can actually be traced. Archaeologists call this kind of earliest possible date a terminus post quem, which Wikipedia defines as "the earliest date the event may have happened or the item was in existence." Browsing by first attestation separates deities known from the oldest surviving records from ones who only appear in much later texts.FactsLearn More6th century BCESourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe gods of Roman public and household religion, a tradition defined more by correct performance of rite and by divine function than by narrative. Rome's major gods were progressively identified with Greek ones and much of the myth attached to them is Greek; the archaic priesthoods, the festival calendar and figures such as Janus and Vesta are where the native religion is clearest. 2AttestationEra of AttestationWell-attestedAttested from the sixth century BCE in inscriptions and in the archaic festival calendar; the public cult ended with the imperial legislation of 391 to 392 CE. 2Veneration TodayWell-attestedThe public cult was ended by law in late antiquity; no continuous worship survives. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedDeities 1Learn MoreThe gods of Rome This group holds the deities of ancient Roman religion. Roman worship began with native Italic and household gods and a strong sense of divine functions and rites, and over time identified its major gods with those of Greece, adopting much of Greek myth in the process. The browser will find the Capitoline triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, along with Mars, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and the rest of the Olympian equivalents, as well as distinctively Roman figures such as Janus, the two-faced god of doorways and beginnings, and Vesta of the hearth. The entries note the Greek counterpart of each syncretised god.6th century BCEFilter Results6 entriesPlanetary FaceAllJuno (1)Jupiter (1)Mars (1)Child OfAllJuno (1)Jupiter (1)HistoricityAllNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being (6)TheologyAllPolytheistic: many gods (6)ArchetypeAllThe Creator (1)The Explorer (1)The Hero (1)The Ruler (1)The Sage (2)Veneration StatusAllHistorically attested; no continuous cult (6)Worshipped InAllRoman Religion (6)Domain / FunctionAllAgriculture and harvest (1)Childbirth (2)Craft, metalwork and smithing (2)Fire (1)Justice, law and oaths (1)Kingship and sovereignty (2)Marriage and the household (1)Moon (1)Protection and guardianship (1)Sky (1)Storm and thunder (1)The hunt (1)War and battle (2)Wilderness and wild animals (1)Wisdom and counsel (1)GenderAllFemale (3)Male (3)PantheonAllRoman (6)BrowseCompareSelect all 6Diana6th century BCEJuno6th century BCEJupiter6th century BCEMars6th century BCEMinerva6th century BCEVulcan6th century BCESources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4th editiontier 1Simon Hornblower, Antony Spawforth and Esther Eidinow (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2012s.v. religion, RomanView the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.