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"The actual substance of the Roman state religion lay in ritual rather than individual belief, and was collective rather than personal. The rituals consisted of festivals, offerings (often of food or wine) and animal sacrifices," Roman Religion Gallery By Dr Nigel Pollard.
"The image shown here is that of a sculpted relief of c.AD 176-80, depicting the emperor Marcus Aurelius offering a sacrifice. He is veiled as a priest, and stands by a small altar, along with the bull that is to be sacrificed, a flute-player and (to the right) the victimarius, who actually killed the animal, with his axe. Between the emperor and the bull is a priest, a flamen, who can be identified by his distinctive headgear, which has a spike on it. " Roman Religion Gallery By Dr Nigel Pollard
"The image shown here is that of a sculpted relief of c.AD 176-80, depicting the emperor Marcus Aurelius offering a sacrifice. He is veiled as a priest, and stands by a small altar, along with the bull that is to be sacrificed, a flute-player and (to the right) the victimarius, who actually killed the animal, with his axe. Between the emperor and the bull is a priest, a flamen, who can be identified by his distinctive headgear, which has a spike on it. " Roman Religion Gallery By Dr Nigel Pollard
The rituals encompassed various activities such as festivals, offerings, and animal sacrifices, all of which had to be conducted regularly and accurately to maintain the gods' favor towards the state, household, or individual.
Unlike modern places of worship, Roman temples primarily served as repositories for statues of gods and equipment related to the cult, rather than spaces for communal worship. Sacrifices were typically carried out on an altar positioned in front of the temple.
The relief depicted in this image showcases a temple, possibly the Capitoline temple of Jupiter in Rome, featuring three doors leading to rooms dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. The absence of strong elements of personal belief, salvation, and morality within the Roman state religion may have contributed to the popularity of alternative philosophies like Stoicism and non-state cults such as Isis-worship or Mithraism.
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