Romans believed in many gods (Pantheon: group of gods)

Romans adopted many of their gods from Greek gods

Romans believed that their gods had human traits and controlled daily life

Jupiter was the king of all of their gods

The Romans' pantheon of gods grew to include the gods of conquered people

Romans worshipped their dead rulers as gods

Romans worshipped their gods at home and in temples

The most important gods had temples made in their honor (priests would manage these temples)

Priests also presided over rituals to secure the gods' favor (blessings)

Romans had calendars with religious festivals

These religious festivals attracted large crowds

The Roman government funded these festivals to make sure that they appeased the gods (for good harvests, health, victories and war)

These religious festivals had colorful processions (parades), feasts, music, dance, theater, and sports

The Roman gods had human traits and qualities that Romans prized

The Romans valued qualities that would help them to be successful

Romans believed in discipline, strength, and loyalty

The Roman personality, gravitas, meant that being solemn and serious would help them achieve their goals in war, politics, law, commerce (business), and engineering

Living a life filled with gravitas was the Roman Way