Roman Religion Before the Greeks - Ancient History DOCUMENTARY 

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Jupiter: “Cut off a head.” Numa: “An onion.” Jupiter: “Of a man.” Numa: “A man’s hair.” Jupiter: “A life.” Numa: “Of a fish.” Jupiter: “Listen here, you little shit-“

Is also intetesting how romans sacralized certain aspects of the state and politics. The goddess Concordia and her temple were created after the end of the conflicts between patricians and plebeians.

When the Romans incorporated Greek mythology, one of the most noticable changes they made was to remove most of the father-killing. A staple of Greek mythology, was too disruptive for Rome. Older gods tended to retire or fade into obscurity, not killed by the next generation.

Many tend to simplify saying that romans "copied" greek religion, but that is not that at all. We can find the same religious archetypes ( a god of thunder, a god of war etc). in almost every indo-european belief system.

Fun fact, while “Romanus pontifex” and “summus pontifex” are the official titles of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church, “pontifex maximus” has also been used by many popes, especially amidst the enthusiasm for classical history and culture during the Renaissance.

These religion episodes are really interesting. Hope you do more like these and cover Manichaeism and other ancient cults!

This was the most hilariously fitting sponsorship segment yet. I legit laughed out loud.

Fortuna, a primordial native italic goddess, was so loved by romans and italians as a whole that remained popular as a quasi-angelic figure even in christian times. Severinus Boezius in his magnum opus dialogue "Consolation Philosophiae" had her in a prominent role, and the concept of fortune as a picky woman draggin unfortunate mortals across her wheel remained a popular image across the medieval art

*Fun fact:* There was a time in Rome in which the cult of the goddess Isis, one of the most popular pre-Greeks cults that existed, was banned during the reign of Tiberius. This prohibition was due to a really curious anecdote: There was a beautiful noblewoman who worshiped Isis. An equestrian man was so attracted to her that he offered her 2,500 gold coins for just spending one night together, which only caused her a deep indignation. After being rejected, the equestrian man went to the temple of Isis and bribed the priests to tell the noblewoman that Anubis was going to appear that night in the temple and had directly chosen her as his companion. The woman believed everything she was told and, when she went to the temple at nightfall, she met the equestrian man (who had disguised himself as Anubis) and f*cked with him throughout the night. After spending several days bragging about having slept with a God, the noblewoman was visited by the equestrian man, who told her: "What we did the other night was really magnificent. I wish you hadn't called me Anubis all the time, but at least I didn't pay you anything at the end 😉". Realizing in horror what she had done, the noblewoman and her husband went to Tiberius' palace in order to protest. The emperor then punished the priests by destroying their temple and forbidding the worship of Isis. Despite this prohibition, many people continued to worship her in secrecy, including the future emperor Caligula, although he later renounced his faith to her and declared himself a God after Isis did not save his sister and lover Drusilla from death, despite promising he would build a gigantic temple for the goddess

One thing not touched on here is that the Greek and Roman pantheons would have likely been somewhat similar even without any direct contact, due to common Proto-Indo-European origin. Jupiter and Zeus, for example, both originate etymologically from PIE Deus-Pater, a Sky-Father god, and there are a number of other similarities suggested by comparative linguistics as well. Of course, there would've been a lot of differences by the 400sBC, due to both to cultural drift and non-PIE influences (such as the Etruscans from the Romans, and Anatolians or Pre-Greek peoples on the Greeks), but my personal belief has always been that a main reason the syncretism happened so smoothly and comprehensively was due underlying inherited religious similarities.

I would really like to recommend Rüpke's Pantheon: A New History of Roman Religion with regards to a fascinating perspective on Rome's religious development.

Something to note about Mars, is that he seems to be more like a Thorr in archaic roman religion. I barely remember the scholar who pointed out that he used to be connected with lightning and thunder, while Juppiter was the personification of the heavens. That is why Mars is so prevalent in the tale of Romulus and Remus.

Can't wait for the remaining episodes! And it would be great to see more series on different world religions!

Numa Pompilius reigned 715-672 BC) was the legendary second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus. Numa was descended of the Sabines, who declare themselves to be a colony of the Lacedaemonians (Plutarch). Many of Rome's most important religious and political institutions are attributed to him, as this excellent video refers.

My grandfather said once, in Italian; “Pare che Giove Pluvio abbia deciso di scatenare le sue intemperie.”, when we got stuck on the road in the middle of a rainstorm from hell. I’ll always remember that saying. It means, in English; “It seems as though Pluvial Jupiter has decided to unleash his intemperances.”.

For folks whose curiosity often takes them off the beaten trail, there's Kings and Generals. And it's always very well presented. If they taught history like this when I was in high school I might have taken more interest in it.

Fact :- In 113 BCE Ambassador of Greek king Heliodorus erected Garuna stambh ( known as Heliodorus pillar ) in Vidisha district of India in the honour of God Vishnu

Love your videos man. You go in-depth and explain history in a way that makes it easy to retain. Thank you for your dedication

Great Video! Specially because you brought the etruscans into it. I'd really like to see more about pre-indo-european history like the etruscans.

I was surprised by how little I've actually thought about this. Thank you for yet another fascinating video. I would love to learn more about the Etruscans! Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you friends! ✝️ :)

6:20 I’m sure they worshipped Numen by chanting, “Numa Numa Yei”.

The Pre-Greek influenced Roman religion shares a common heritage with Greek and other Indo-European cultures. For example, the gods Jupiter (Iupiter páter in Latin) and Zeus páter evolved from the term "djous patēr" ("sky father").

This channel is so good. I’m so glad to have found you all!! Thank you for quality presentations of new content.

This is really interesting! This is a topic that I had no idea was even a thing, particularly given the fact that Roman Religion is often thought off merely as a cheap copy of the Greek one. Now I know this is much more complex. As always, great job.

By far, I think one of the greatest or at least most unique book upon Roman Religion relative to Roman government and society has to be Mr. Fustel de Coulanges' The Ancient City (1864). Though it must be somewhat outdated in scholarship, the book remains one of the most fascinating through its discussion of roman religion away from the stereotypical pantheon and rather focuses upon domestic religion namely relating to the Lares, Manes, and Penates (as well as their connection to the hearth or vesta) in both Rome and Greece. The central importance of the ideas originating from the ancient religion (before the ideas of Elysian Fields, pantheons, and the such) can be demonstrated by a few quotes from the book: "A verse of Pindar has preserved to us a curious vestige of the thoughts of those ancient generations. Phrixus had been compelled to quit Greece. and had fled as far as Colchis. He had died in that country; but, dead though he was, he wished to return to Greece. He appeared, therefore, to Pelias, and directed him to go to Colchis and bring away his soul. Doubtless this soul regretted the soil of its native country, and the tomb of its family; but being attached to its corporeal remains, it could not quit Colchis without them." "Men feared death less than the privation of burial; for rest and eternal happiness were at stake. We ought not to be too much surprised at seeing the Athenians put generals to death, who, after a naval victory, had neglected to bury the dead. These generals, disciples of philosophers, distinguished clearly between the soul and the body, and as they did not believe that the fate of the one was connected with the fate of the other, it appeared to them of very little consequence whether a body was decomposed in the earth or in the water. Therefore they did not brave the tempest for the vain formality of collecting and burying their dead. But the multitude, who, even at Athens, still clung to the ancient doctrines, accused these generals of impiety, and had them put to death. By their victory they had saved Athens; but by their impiety they had lost thousands of souls." "The Romans gave to the dead the name of Manes. “Render to the manes what is due them,” says Cicero; “they are men who have quitted this life; consider them as divine beings.” These human souls deified by death were what the Greeks called demons, or heroes. The Latins gave them the name of Lares, Manes, Genii. “Our ancestors believed,” says Apuleius “that the Manes, when they were malignant, were to be called larvae; they called them Lares when they were benevolent and propitious.” Elsewhere we read, “Genius and Lar is the same being; so our ancestors believed.” And in Cicero, “Those that the Greeks called demons we call Lares.” "It often happened that colonists or conquerors established themselves in a city already built. They had not to build houses, for nothing opposed their occupying those of the vanquished; but they had to perform the ceremony of foundation - that is, to establish their sacred fires, and to fix their national gods in their new home. This explains the statements of Thucydides and Herodotus that the Dorians founded Lacedaemon, and the Ionians Miletus, though these two tribes found Lacedaemon and Miletus built and already very ancient." "At one time the tribunes of the people proposed, as Rome, devastated by the Gauls, was no longer anything but a heap of ruins, and as, five leagues distant, there was a city all built, large, beautiful, well situated, and without inhabitants, - since the Romans had conquered it, - that the people should abandon the ruins of Rome, and remove to Veii. But the pious Camillus replied, “Our city was religiously founded; the gods themselves pointed out the place, and took up their abode here with our fathers. Ruined as it is, it still remains the dwelling of our national gods.” And the Romans remained at Rome." "Besides these gods and heroes, men had gods of another species, like Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, towards whom the aspect of nature had directed their thoughts; but we have seen that these creations of human intelligence had for a long time the character of domestic or local divinities. At first men did not conceive of these gods as watching over the whole human race. They believed that each one of them belonged in particular to a family or a city. The names of many of these divinities are forgotten; it is by chance that there have remained the names of the god Satrapes, who belonged to the city of Elis, of the goddess Dindymene at Thebes, of Soteira at Ægium, of Britomartis in Crete, of Hyblaea at Hybla. The names of Zeus, Athene, Hera, Jupiter, Minerva, and Neptune are better known to us, and we know that they were often applied to these city-guarding divinities; but because two cities happened to apply the same name to their god, we are not to conclude that they adored the same god. There was an Athene at Athens, and there was one at Sparta; but they were two goddesses. A great number of cities had a Jupiter as a city-protecting divinity. There were as many Jupiters as there were cities. In the legend of the Trojan war we see a Pallas who fights for the Greeks, and there is among the Trojans another Pallas, who receives their worship and protects her worshippers. Would any one say that it was the same divinity who figured in both armies? Certainly not; for the ancients did not attribute the gift of ubiquity to their gods. The cities of Argos and Samos had each a Here Polias, but it was not the same goddess, for she was represented in the two cities with very different attributes. There was at Rome a Juno; at a distance of five leagues, the city of Veii had another. So little were they the same divinity that we see the dictator Camillus, while besieging Veii, address himself to the Juno of the enemy, to induce her to abandon the Etruscan city and pass into his camp. "

Who else was caught off guard by the ad intro?

Great video! Informative and easy to follow.

Omg omg omg I can’t believe this video just dropped! I did so much research into this early this year and it wasn’t easy!

Do you have anything regarding ancient Celtic religions? I know the source materials are extremely scarce and frequently biased, but I'd be interested in learning more. Honestly, for me, the harder it is to learn about a people (generally the further back in time one goes), the more intrigued I am about them. Love your channel!

Really interesting, thank you for your amazing work.

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job

Truly fascinating stuff! Ancient battles get the majority of attention today but mythology and the details of daily life are quite intriguing.

"Interested in early Roman paganism? Don't worry, I've got something for that ED you're suffering."

Happily, I watched the vid. Excellent! A little known subject brought to life and into the light. Outstanding! Production value is of the highest quality. Keep up the great work.

Thanks for the video as always

11:20 Romulus and Remus' arguments between them are summarized like this: Remus: "I want to do this in my way, brother" Romulus: "Ok. We will make a little competition. The one who wins decides the plan to follow, ok?" Remus: "That's fair..." *5 minutes later* Remus after losing: "I am not going to follow your plan. Let's make another competition!" Romulus: 🤦 *Repeat the process*

I'm not sure that I buy the whole, "No mythology before the influence of the Greeks" hypothesis.

Great video, thank you!

This was awesome very informative

Wow, I wasn't expecting an ad for hardon pills.

Really interesting as always. However, it must be said that Rose's thesis, the so-called "primitivist school" has been debunked by Dumezil's "trifunctional thesis", whereby the idea of a "numen" applied to the Roman religion in the terms of Rose would contradict the obvious argument concerning the legacy of the Roman religion from Indo-European religion. As the latter had already passed this phase (the numen), it would be illogical to think that archaic Romans (latin-Faliscan were italic Indoeuropean peoples) downgraded to a religious vision even more primitive than their Indo-European ancestors, just to develop again a new organized religion.

Finally an ad that is just right for me, thanks Kings and Generals!

Amazing work

This was a very interesting look into Roman religion. My compliments to all those who made this video a reality.

Not a single mention of Janus? Perhaps the only real roman god who isn''t influenced from greek culture? The god on the first coins? The god after whom a whole month from the calendar was named? For real?!?!

Awesome, thank you! So much I didn’t know

Amazing video bro

Informative video, but a bit surprising that there's no mention of Janus.

11:52 Man trolled the hell out of Jupiter and Jupiter just acquiesced. This story is so funny to me 😂

I love the music, it's a perfect complement to the video!

As always, magnific content

Great topic. I saw an “authoritative statement” recently that insisted that all Roman gods were anthropomorphic, probably by a kid who heard only about the Hellenic-Roman pantheon once. What nonsense, many, many Roman gods were numinous, especially before the Roman adoption of the Hellenic pantheon.

I once read somewhere that the name "Jupiter" was formed from "Zeus Pater". Sort of makes sense. As well, Richard Armour, the satirist, said that it's lucky that Romulus killed Remus because had it been the other way around the name of the city would have been Reme.

this is awesome

Our Ancient History Teacher taught the class about the Vestal Virgins & their influence on Roman Religion & it was fascinating. Our Teacher is a chad when it comes to teaching ancient history. I always loved History whether it is Ancient, Medieval or Modern. Thx for the awesome videos as always K&G.

An important religious roman festival was the Lupercalia. The name Lupercalia was believed in antiquity to evince some connection with the Ancient Greek festival of the Arcadian Lykaia, a wolf festival (Greek: λύκος, lýkos; Latin: lupus), and the worship of Lycaean Pan, assumed to be a Greek equivalent to Faunus, as instituted by Evander. Justin describes a cult image of "the Lycaean god, whom the Greeks call Pan and the Romans Lupercus", as nude, save for a goatskin girdle. In Roman mythology, Evander (from Greek Εὔανδρος Euandros, "good man" or "strong man": an etymology used by poets to emphasize the hero's virtue) was a culture hero from Arcadia, Greece, who was said to have brought the Greek pantheon, laws, and alphabet to Italy, where he founded the city of Pallantium on the future site of Palatine Hill, Rome, sixty years before the Trojan War. He instituted the festival of the Lupercalia. Evander was deified after his death and an altar was constructed to him on the Aventine Hill.

Making original stuff may not of been Rome's expertise but they were masters of improving stuff they adapted from.

OK. That was one of the funniest transition to a promo I’ve ever seen on RU-vid. 😂

Fascinating- thank you

Why no mention of a very early Roman god of doors:Janus

I'm surprised they didn't go more into depth of Rome's founding myth. Leaving out Romulus killed Remus is a big thing, but hopefully in their future videos they'll go further into the story and how it impacted Rome's cultural practices.

This is brilliant !

Thank you Kings and Generals Team.

A video on the war of the Spanish succession would be cool which is a topic I know absolutely nothing about

finally, i was wondering so much what happend to roman religion when christianity took over can't wait for that episode :)

You guys should sell your Videos to museums. Love your work!

great video. I really enjoy the culture and economy videos. also want to commend your Latin pronunciation

Numa Pompilius doesn't get enough coverage in modern media.

Wow, the original Numen reminds me of the concept of Mana, somehow.

Interesting video

🔥🔥🔥💯 I really injoy these

Funny thing I found once when researching the origin of my given name is that Mars’s might have come from an Etruscan or Oscan god named Maris, depicted as a child and with an unknown sphere of power.

I never know whether Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Jupiter, the best and greatest) started off from a point of pure confidence - or wishful thinking.

This channel never missed

Apart from the constantly fantastic content, the music gets better and better. Have you ever thought about publishing the sound track"?

Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, or Tarquin the Elder, was the legendary fifth king of Rome and first of its Etruscan dynasty. He reigned from 616 to 579 BC. He was prohibited from obtaining political office in Etruria because of the ethnicity of his father Demaratus, so Lucius Tarquinius Priscus became king of Rome. Demaratus,from Doric royal house of Bachiade, came from the Greek city of Corinth with his entourage,architects,poets,potters ecc,and brought art and religion and myths in Tarquinia. Demaratus became through his sons the ancestor of the Roman race of Tarquinia and the ancestor of many noble Roman families. His descendants were three kings of Rome and the first two advisers when the Roman Republic was proclaimed.

First here, just hit the like button and go do whatever you wanna do man!

I learn a lot with this channel

Wow, and thanxx a million!

They were a branch of the Indo-European religion. But exactly what slant unique to the Romans is very interesting. We know the Latin and Celtic languages split and could look at the Celtic religions for possible insight.

Pallantium was the city was founded by Evander of Pallene and other ancient Greeks sometime previous to the Trojan War.[1] In addition, Dionysius of Halicarnassus writes that Romans say that the city was founded by Greeks from Pallantium of Arcadia, about sixty years before the Trojan war and the leader was Evander.[2]Solinus writes that the Arcadians were the founders of the city.[3] The myth of the city's origin was significant in ancient Roman mythology because Pallantium became one of the cities that was merged later into ancient Rome, thereby tying Rome's origins to the ancient Greek heroes. Other cities in the area were founded by various Italic tribes. Virgil states that Evander named the city in honor of his ancestor, Pallas,[4] although Pausanias as well as Dionysius of Halicarnassus[5] say that Evander's birth city was Pallantium, and thus he named the new city after the one in Arcadia. Dionysius of Halicarnassus also mentions that some writers, including Polybius of Megalopolis, say that the town was named after Pallas, who was the son of Heracles and Lavinia, the daughter of Evander, and when he died his grandfather raised a tomb to him on the hill and called the place Pallantium, after him.[6] The origin of Rome and the composition of its people are worthy of remark. They explain the particular character of its policy, and the exceptional part that fell to it from the beginning in the midst of other cities. The Roman race was strangely mixed. The principal element was Latin, and originally from Alba; but these Albans themselves, according to traditions which no criticism authorizes us to reject, were composed of two associated, but not confounded, populations. One was the aboriginal race, real Latins. The other was of foreign origin, and was said to have come from Troy with Aeneas, the priest-founder; it was, to all appearance, not numerous, but was influential from the worship and the institutions which it had brought with it. These Albans, a mixture of two races, founded Rome on a spot where another city had already been built - Pallantium, founded by the Greeks. Now, the population of Pallantium remained in the new city, and the rites of the Greek worship were preserved there. There was also, where the Capitol afterwards stood, a city which was said to have been founded by Hercules, the families of which remained distinct from the rest of the Roman population during the entire continuance of the republic. Thus at Rome all races were associated and mingled; there were Latins, Trojans, and Greeks; there were, a little later, Sabines, and Etruscans. Of the several hills, the Palatine was the Latin city, after having been the city of Evander. The Capitoline, after having been the dwelling-place of the companions of Hercules, became the home of the Sabines of Tatius. The Quirinal received its name from the Sabine Quirites, or from the Sabine god Quirinus. The Coelian hill appears to have been inhabited from the beginning by Etruscans. Rome did not seem to be a single city; it appeared like a confederation of several cities, each one of which was attached by its origin to another confederation. It was the centre where the Latins, Etruscans, Sabellians, and Greeks met. --Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges, The Ancient City, 311 ReferencesEdit ^ Aeneid, viii^ Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, 1.45.1^ Solinus, Polyhistor, 1.1^ Aeneid 8.54^ Roman Antiquities, i. 31^ Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, 1.32.1 External linksEditThe Ancient City (pdf) at the McMaster Archive

Thank you , K&G .

Nice vid, any plan to make episode 8 for alexander conquest? Have been waiting for more alexander conquest video :)

Etruscans had a very different pantheon before they met us when we colonised the southern part of Italy. They had Gods and Goddesses like: Aita - God of the Underworld Alpan - spirit of Harmony Athrpa - Goddess of Fate Catha - the daughter of the Sun Cel - Earth Goddess Culsu - double-faced God of Gates Laran - God of War Nortia - Goddess of Fate, protector of plagues and disasters. Silvanus - God of the forests Tages - revealed to the humans the secrets of religious rites. Tharn - Goddess protector of the children Tivr - Goddess of the Moon Turan - Goddess of love Turnu - son of the Goddess of love Uni - Goddess of Fire Vanth - female demon associated with Death. Veltha - Goddess of vegetation/agriculture Usil - The Sun God … etc When Romans conquered Hellas, Hellas conquered them with its civilisation! They adopted our Pantheon and changed the names: Zeus became Jupiter Hera became Juno Athena became Minerva Aphrodite became Venus Ares became Mars Poseidon became Neptune Demeter became Ceres Hestia became Vesta Hermes became Mercury Hephaestus became Vulcan Other deities like: Eros became Cupid Nike became Victoria Persephone became Proserpine The oldest Etruscan God of Sun was replaced with the beliefs of the Titans. Usil, the Sun God was replaced with Sol Invictus, the invincible Sun. The Titan Helios from the Hellenic mythology.

Ive always wondered if Rome itself was a mix of Greeks and Etruscans before the mythic kings or a dominance of one over the other which overtime separated from their cousins.

So Nice!

very interesting

Rule of thumb is: The Roman and Greek gods and goddesses were COUNTERPARTS, NOT EQUIVALENT of each other.

Great channel

Thanks!

You should do the story of Frumentius and the Christian conversion of Ethiopia

I'm not sure there is such a thing as Roman religion "before the Greeks." Roman religion developed concurrently and intertwined with what we're calling "Greek polytheism" here. Rome didn't have to conquer Greece to adopt religious practices. They were closely linked to Greek cities from the kingdom era and early Republic. For instance, the first Roman road was a direct link to Cumae and Naples. The last king of Rome exiled himself to Cumae and was the grandson of a Corinthian. The Etruscans, Romans, and Italian Greeks, and others, all drew upon a shared heritage back to Homer. You can see this in their art and pottery from early periods, and such. Etruscan, Greek, and Latin cities always claimed a Homeric legendary founder of their cities. These peoples were never isolated entities.

Interesting!

10:58 It makes Batiatus' "praying" scene in Spartacus make a lot of sense!

You should honor Priapus, the Roman god of oversized permanent erection, instead of using those pills.

So it was basically an indo-european religion too?

Awesome video. It's great that you have a sponsor, but sadly this one means I won't be able to show the video to my students. 🤣

Early Roman history is maddeningly fascinating. Unlike the Indus or the Minoans (that we know of) this place came to shape history like almost no other, but it was born in mists and shadows. I'd give my left nut to know exactly what happened during their first couple centuries.

Indeed, romans didn't copy everything from the greeks. They had their own vision and the etruscans were also very influent. Also, like Dumezil wrote, many of these religious views in Europe may come from the proto-indoeuropean faith, that's why there are similarities between pantheons like the hellenic and norse ones. But romans also had original gods that the greeks didn't have, like the two-faced god Janus and Quirinus