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A essay on pompeii
A essay on pompeii
Concept of worship in greco-roman
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The Forum in Pompeii was the centre of the commercial and political life. In Pompeii, the forum was the centre of the political life because it contains the voting hall and the municipal offices, as well as market place including the vegetable market and the Macellum. The forum was also a very important place for religions as most of the temples such as the temple of Jupiter and Mars were built there. The people in Pompeii not only worshipped Greek gods, they also worship gods from foreign cults such as the cult of Isis and the cult of Sabaziums and also past emperor as one of their gods, they follow ritual such as the bull sacrifice depicts in the Temple of Genius Austusti at Pompeii. Priest hood is very important in the political life of Romans because they will become Public priest or prestress one day such as Maria and Emachia. The Forum was the centre of the political, social and economic life in Pompeii as their temples, market place and government offices were built there .
Forum was the centre of Religions, similar to the Greeks, the performances of one’s religions duties are one of the most important part of being a citizen. The temple of Greek gods such as Apollo and Herakles was built in the forum for worshippers as it has been worshipped in pre-Rome Pompeii and Herculaneum up until the AD79. In the temple, votive offerings were set up in the precinct as gifts to the god including the bronze statues of Apollo and his sister Diana as archers, holding bows. People worshipped the Greeks gods such as Diana and Apollo by building statues of them inside their temple and giving them offerings.
The Romans state cult was the centred of the worship of the Capitoline Triad: Jupiter, the overall Protector of the state, Juno, who t...
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... market place at the Vegetable market.
In the Forum the people would go and worshipped Greek god such as Jupiter, Juno and Apollo and foreign cult such as the Egyptian goddess, the cult of Isis and they also worshipped the pass emperor as the emperors were choice by the gods in the Temple of Genius Augusti at Pompeii. The forum also serves in the political life as the election were held at the Muncipal building. The forum is also the market place for the people to buy local plants such as grapes, plums, lentils, figs, wheat, bread, sheep, goats and fish. The priesthood is a very important part of the political life for Pompeian as they are serving as priest or priestess such as public priestess Eumachia who corporate the fullers and pay for new building in the forum. The function of the Forum is linked to the political, social, and their religion life in Pompeii.
We can observe this through the “civic as well as religious function” that the temple had maintained in the past (The Iconography of Sacred Space: A Suggested Reading of the Meaning of the Roman Pantheon 25). It was originally built in honor of Augustus, yet “as a man at the service of the people”, he felt that it would jeopardize his image (Purpose of the Roman Pantheon). Hadrian later rebuilt this piece of
The ancient Greeks practiced a religion that was in effect, a building block to many ensuing pagan religions. This religion revolved around their reverence to the gods. Essentially, the Greeks worshipped numerous gods, making their religion polytheistic. They believed that exercising the opportunity to choose between a wide array of gods to worship offered them a great sense of freedom that they treasured. After all, the Greeks were known for their intellectual distinction of which their means of worship played a huge part. Each city-state, or polis, thus had an affiliated god who protected and guided its residents. Within a given polis, the belief in common gods unified the people. Ultimately, the Greeks yearned for this unity and order in the universe, which is a characteristic that is not unlike that of people today. It might seem contradictory that they believed in many gods and sought organization at the same time, for larger numbers are inherently unstable. But, to the god-fearing Greeks, each god represented a different facet of life that together upheld an organized universe if each of these gods was properly appeased. To satisfy these gods, the Greeks participated in activities such as prayer and sacrifice and erected divine temples and centers for oracles in honor of specific gods. There is evidence of this institutionalization early on in the reign of the Olympian gods, thus forming the Olympian religion.
Munn, Mark H. The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the Tyranny in Asia: A Study of Sovereignty in Ancient Religion. N.p.: Berkeley: University of Califronia, 2006. Print.
There were two parts to the Forum, “the piazza and the basilica” (Wei, 2010). Its entirety was built based on what Trajan had won in the wars so it was a constant reminder to the citizens of their emperor’s legacy and importance. The Forum had many monuments made out to Trajan, such as the Arch of Trajan and Trajan’s Column, both of which honored his winning battles. In the middle of the courtyard, there was also a bronze statue of Trajan on his horse (Wei, 2010). Connected to this courtyard was yet another one that supplied two libraries, “one for Greek texts and the other for Latin texts” (Farber, 2013). This shows that education and knowledge was also important to Trajan and played a role in his ruling. After his death in 117 AD, his ashes were buried at the bottom of Trajan’s Column and his successor, Hadrian, dedicated a temple to him. Trajan was a loved emperor, perhaps because of his close ties to his people or his accomplishments. Either way, it was evident that his ruling had a positive impact on the population and history of Rome.
Within the Ancient world, political leaders manipulated the balance between religion and politics to further their own power. In particular, Gaius Octavius (63 BC – 14 AD) later known as Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus, exploited the ‘imperial cult’ as a political tool within the Roman Empire. Termed by modern historians, the imperial cult was a combination of local religious cults where people worshipped the emperor as a deity who received divine honours exceeding all other living entities. By directly allowing the imperial cult in the Roman provinces, this achieved much required unity and stability throughout the Empire. Consequently, this enabled Augustus to indirectly incorporate the cult into Rome’s ritualistic polytheism practices.
The reason why theology majors are interested in the town of Pompeii is because of the temples in Pompeii. Some of the temples that are in Pompeii were the temple of Apollo, the temple of Jupiter, and a few more temples. The first temple of Pompeii is the temple of Apollo, because it is believed to be the oldest temple of the town. The temple of Apollo who believed to be dedicated to the worship of Apollo, since the sixth century BC. Also, the worship of Apollo was related with predictions of the future and the temple of Apollo at Pompeii was some sort of branch of the Oracle of Delphi. Another temple in Pompeii is the temple of Jupiter, which was the Capitolium of Pompeii. The temple of Jupiter was dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, which were the three gods, who were also worshipped in the temple on the Capitol Hill in Rome. Also, the temple of Jupiter was built dating back to the second century BC. These are just of few of the temples that were in Pompeii and
Because of the showcase of beliefs that the Greeks admired, the influence on Greek mythology, and collective public impact, sacrifice played a key role in Greek culture. From centuries back from B.C., we see a devotedness and attentiveness in the Greek religion and culture, and a great deal of that devotedness can be attributed to ritual sacrifice, and how it united the ancient Greeks, no matter where they were. So, even with a practice many hold in a negative connotation, it can still bring together the public, display values that we still respect, and affect the greatest works of the ancient world.
Throughout the history of Rome, from the monarchy to the late empire, religion had played a great role in it's society and was involved in almost every aspect of the life of the Roman citizen. It was common for each house to have it's own patron god/gods and ,on special occasions, the head of the house would make a sacrifice to the personal gods of the family. Also, great festivals were usually held in honor of certain gods and would include spectacles like chariot races and Gladiatorial fights.
The city has remained intact until the present day because of being buried so quickly. Not only are its buildings complete but also the contents inside the houses and shops have been preserved. This provides a fascinating picture of "daily" life in Pompeii. The walls of the houses are covered with electoral propaganda messages or risqué jokes aimed at particular citizens. The signs on the shop doorways indicate the activity carried out there or the name of the owner. The workshops and utility rooms found provide evidence of the daily routine performed by workmen and slaves.
The Forum of Trajan was no exception and paid tribute to the successes of their famed Emperor. In 105 A.D. Trajan and his Roman army seized the entirety of kingdom of Dacia’s treasures. The spoils of war from the conquest of Dacia played a part in the construction of the Forum. During the time of Trajan’s rule Rome’s population had grown to nearly one million people. The people found a new forum vital to Rome. The new forum would be beneficial not only as a marketplace, but also a center for politics and religion. Apollodorus of Damascus is responsible for the creation of Trajan’s forum, showcasing details of Trajan’s achievements over the time of his rule. The Forum’s main entrance led to a large piazza, which was bordered by two lavishly decorated colonnaded porticos that were 2 stories height with the 2nd story being held up by statues designed to be the slaves of one of their conquered
At home, the Romans each had their very own shrine. Religion seemed to be pretty important to the Romans. They had many, many different gods. The Roman gods were said to protect each house.
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to your guided tour of Pompeii. We are starting off our tour in one of Pompeii’s finest treasures: The Villa of Mysteries. We are particularly focusing on the wonderful mosaic inside. The mosaic in the Villa of Mysteries not only gives contemporary society insight into the social classes and trade in Ancient Pompeii, it also illustrates one of the religious practices and rituals that were popular at the time. Firstly, we will be exploring how The Villa of Mysteries contributes towards our understanding of the social classes and trade in Ancient Pompeii, secondly how it furthers our understanding of religion at the time, and finally, why it is considered to be a treasure.
“Temples dedicated to a god or goddess were the major buildings of Greek society.” (--) They were designed to serve as homes for the gods of that particular community. The people believed that the gods had a major control over certain elements around them, so they thought it was best to keep the gods happy and pleased. They wanted them to feel at home. Each temple had a statue of the god or goddess that lived there. In the past, the statues were made out of wood. However, as time evolved, the statues were created with different materials, such as stone or cast bronze. The finest statues were made of a combination of gold and ivory, which was Zeus’s and Athena’s statues. The statue of Zeus is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The design of the temple was inspired by a look of nature. To keep the temples beautiful, private groups and individuals were encouraged to contribute donations. Although many people were involved in the process of building the temple and maintaining the upkeep, only priests were allowed to enter the temple to perform special
Both the Greeks and the Romans dedicated their temples to the gods, however, unlike temples today that are used for congregation, Greek and Roman temples were used differently. Greek temples were used as the home of a certain deity and as a place to worship the specific god that was housed there. The Romans used temples to praise a god for military victory or for a politician to show his increase of wealth and status by commissioning the construction of a temple. Roman Temples were also often used as a meeting place for people to express a multitude of social and political concerns whereas the Greek temples were typically used by one person at a time. Within the cella of both the Greek and Roman temples was an altar dedicated to the gods. The Greeks used elements from their temple design in the creation of these altars, and Romans sometimes modeled their sarcophagi after this design. The Sarcophagus of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus from his tomb on the Via Appia from 200 B.C.E depicts the elements that the Romans borrowed from Greek temples. It is a mixture of two styles of Greek temple, Ionic and Doric. The Ionic style can be seen in the curves on the lid whereas the Doric style is depicted in the squares on the side of the sarcophagus, where each of the vertical lines of the square is a set of columns. This shows not only Greek