Roman Literature In the 8th century B. C. , the inhabitants of some small Latin settlements on hills in the TIBER VALLEY united and established a common meeting place, the FORUM, around which the city of Rome grew. In terms of the arts, Roman citizens were practical people who spent less time on art, literature, and philosophy and more time on ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION, and MILITARY OPERATIONS Known for there dominant and destructive ways [Image 4. 7] Bust of Cicero Religion played a very important role in the daily life of Ancient Rome.
The Romans believed that GODS CONTROLLED THEIR LIVES and, as a result, spent a great deal of their time worshipping them. The most important god was JUPITER. He was the king of gods who ruled with his wife JUNO, the goddess of the sky.
Other gods includes MARS, MERCURY, NEPTUNE, JANIS, DIANA, VESTA, MINERVA, VENUS. After the reign of the EMPEROR AUGUSTUS (27 BC to AD 14), the emperor was also considered to be a god and he was worshipped on special occasions. TEMPLES to worship the gods were built throughout the Roman Empire. Each family home would also have a small altar and shrine.
The Romans had PERSONAL HOUSEHOLD GODS or spirits which were worshipped every day at home. The shrine contained statues of the spirits and the head of the household led family prayers around the shrine each day. The chief of the gods, for the Romans, was Jupiter. His name is related to the name of the Greek god Zeus, and Jupiter is similar to Zeus in many ways. Zeus in Greek mythology was the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky and thunder. Jupiter in Roman mythology was the king of the gods, and the god of sky and thunder. Aphrodite in Greek mythology was the goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture.
Venus was a major Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty and fertility. Latin literature Latin literature, the body of written works in the Latin language, remains an enduring legacy of the culture of ancient Rome. The Romans produced many works of poetry, comedy, tragedy, satire, history, and rhetoric, drawing heavily on the traditions of other cultures and particularly on the more matured literary tradition of Greece. Long after the Western Roman Empire had fallen, the Latin language continued to play a central role in western European civilization.