Home›Roman Deities›Worshipped InBrowse ByWorshipped InThis page groups deities by the religion whose adherents actively worship them, connecting a god to the living or historical community that maintains their cult. Wikipedia defines cult, in the religious sense, as "the care (Latin: cultus) owed to deities or saints and their temples, shrines, or churches." Browsing this way lets a visitor see every deity that belongs to one religion's worship, rather than reading about gods religion by religion.FactsLearn MoreWorshipped InSourcesComments (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.Worshipped InFilter Results2 entriesEra of DeclineAllPublic pagan sacrifice was banned by the emperor Theodosius I in 391 CE, and traditional Roman religion was gradually suppressed as Christianity became the empire's official religion. (1)The Neoplatonic school at Athens is closed in 529 CE (1)Era of Decline End YearAll400 (1)529 (1)Era of Decline Start YearAll380 (2)Observance NoteAllSacrifice at open air altars, civic festivals such as the Panathenaea at Athens, and the great Panhellenic games at Olympia and Delphi were central to its practice. (1)Origin AccountAllGreek religion developed from Bronze Age Mycenaean and, further back, Indo-European antecedents, without a single founder or founding revelation. (1)Roman religion developed from early Latin and Etruscan cult practice and absorbed extensive Greek mythology and ritual through contact with Greek colonies in Italy, without a single founder. (1)Origin PeriodAllThe Panhellenic system is in place by the 8th century BCE (1)Origin Period End YearAll700 BCE (1)500 BCE (1)Origin Period Start YearAll1400 BCE (1)750 BCE (1)Place of OriginAllMainland Greece, the Aegean islands and the Greek colonies (1)Rome and central Italy (1)Practice StatusAllDiscontinued as a state religion (2)Status TodayAllHistorical; not practised continuously (2)Supreme BeingAllAncient Greek religion recognised no single supreme being; Zeus held authority as king of the gods among the Olympians without being their sole creator or an object of exclusive worship. (1)TheologyAllPolytheistic: many gods (2)BrowseCompareAncient Greek ReligionWorshipped In1 entryRoman ReligionWorshipped In26 entriesSources1. 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.