Roman Mythology Research Paper

Roman mythology changed how humans view the world today and in ancient Rome. The many types of gods and goddesses influenced the life of Romans and change how we live out our lives today. There are still people who believe in these religions. The Roman gods and goddesses shaped the path of history for the romans and for us today.

The Roman gods and goddesses were adapted from Greek culture. Once Greece was captured by Rome, the Romans changed the names of the gods and called them their own. These gods were said to live on mount Olympus in Greece. The main gods were Jupiter, king of the gods and god of Lightning and the sky, Juno, Queen of the gods, goddess of marriage whose patron animal was a peacock, Neptune, brother to Jupiter and god

of the sea and earthquakes, and Pluto, brother to Neptune and god of riches and the dead. There were many many other gods. 12 olympians (the ones who lived on olympus) but hundreds of other gods for obscure things, like Abeona, patron goddess of children’s steps. Many of Rome’s greatest buildings came from temples dedicated to the gods. The Pantheon is a temple. Many of the emperors, before christianity was adopted, thought of themselves as gods.

Roman myth helped the Romans grasp the concept of the universe and our existence.

It helped answer questions like “why are we here?” And “how was the universe created?” to the romans Terra, or mother Earth, created the universe. These myths helped them have a feeling of knowledge and belonging, just as we get comfort from knowing new things. One myth tells of how winter came about. Another tells why we have bad things like sadness in the world. The Romans not only wanted an explanation for life, but they also wanted someone to blame for tragedies. Pluto, the god of death was blamed for people dying. Jupiter, god of storms was blamed for storms and lightning. Saturn, who once struck the mountains with his sickle and turned them into volcanoes, was to blame for the eruption of volcanoes such as Vesuvius.

Roman mythology surrounds us in our daily life. There are obvious ones, like the planets. The planets are all named after Roman gods and titans. But have you ever wondered why Starbucks has a mermaid as their mascot? It’s actually a siren from mythology. They wanted it because it represents the sea and they ship lots of their coffee beans over seas. The Gatorade lightning bolt represents the lightning bolt of Jupiter. Here in San Francisco, we base a lot of architecture off of Roman works dedicated to the gods: temples that would not have happened without

mythology.

In conclusion, the world we live in today all around us is shaped by Roman mythology. Part of the reason Rome was so successful was actions driven by their belief in the gods. In our own city the Roman gods and goddesses changed how we live our lives. The Roman gods and goddesses shaped the path of history for the romans and for us today.