6 Roman religion tolerance

How tolerant were the Romans?
Teaching notes
This resource was designed to fit within a Y7 sequence on the Romans. Students had studied
some basics on Roman society and the conquest of Britain.
Objectives
• To identify some of the Gods that the early Romans believed in.
• To describe the range of religious beliefs held by people living within the provinces of the
Roman Empire.
• To explain why the Romans treated people of different religions differently.
• To use this information to evaluate how tolerant the Romans were.
Resources
• Roman god information cards (pp.4-6) – enough to place around the room
• Student sheet one (p.3) and student sheet two (p.7) – one for each student
• Map of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century (see PDF p.8) – enough for all to see
• Conquered peoples character cards (pp. 8-9) – one for each student
Suggested activities
Starter:
Ask students to sketch a picture of what a God might look like. Ask students to hold up or share
their sketches with the people around them. Are there any common features? It is likely that a
large proportion of your students will have drawn a bearded man in the clouds! Follow this up
with some questioning:
What religion do you think this representation of God comes from?
Does the religion have one God or many Gods?
What powers does the God have?
Share the idea that many of our pictorial representations of God have their roots in Roman
religious beliefs. Read through the first section of information on student sheet one.
Main tasks:
Task 1: Distribute the Roman god cards around the classroom. Ask students to move around
the room and look at the information. They should note down key information about each God
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20480 Page 1 of 9

including their name, their qualities/powers and a suggestion as to who might have worshipped
them.
Mini plenary:
Consider how tolerant the Romans were on the basis of what has been learned so far.
Task 2:
Look at the map of the extent of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. Ask students to consider
what the Romans would have encountered on their journey of expansion. Feedback their
suggestions and develop the idea that the Romans would have come across people of many
different faiths whilst on their travels.
Task 3:
Now ask students to each adopt the character of one of the conquered peoples using the
character cards. They should fill in the details on student sheet two for their own character, and
then circulate to find out about other groups’ experiences.
Plenary:
Ask students to place themselves on an opinion line for the main enquiry question ranging from
extremely intolerant to extremely tolerant. Ask individual students to justify their place on the
line by explaining the reasons for their decision.
Extension/ consolidation:
Students might complete an extended piece of writing on the main enquiry question aiming to
produce a balanced answer which gives evidence to support and oppose the idea and to reach a
conclusion.

Student sheet one
Background information: Roman gods
• The early Romans believed in many different gods.
• They would pray to different gods for different things as each god had unique powers e.g.
the god of war, the god of wisdom etc.
• Gods had personal meanings to the Romans.
• They often had stories to explain how the different gods were born.
Task: Move around the room and look at the information about Roman gods. Note down key
information about each god including their name, their qualities/powers and a suggestion as to
who might have worshipped them.
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:
What kind of person would have
worshipped this God?
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:
God/Goddess name:
Qualities/powers:

Jupiter
Jupiter means Father.
A large temple in Rome called the Optimus Maximus was dedicated to Jupiter who was one
of the most well-known Roman gods. Many people living in the city thought that Jupiter
guarded the temple and kept them safe from attack.
Jupiter was king of all Roman gods. He carried a Thunderbolt as his weapon. All other
gods were scared of him. They believed he was married to the goddess Juno.
Juno
Juno was believed to be the daughter of Saturn and the wife of Jupiter making her the queen
of the Roman gods.
She was believed to be responsible for looking after the women of Rome and for overseeing
all marriages.
All Roman women were thought to have a spirit which looked after them for all of their lives.
This was called their Juno in recognition of the goddess.
She is not usually pictured carrying a weapon, but her clothing, features and stance show that
she was considered ready for war by her followers.
Neptune
Neptune was the god of the sea and brother to Jupiter. He carried a trident (three
pronged spear). He is often pictured riding an animal which resembles a cross between a
dolphin and a horse.
He was believed to be very powerful, controlling the movement of the sea and even
causing earthquakes. Many Romans viewed him as a moody god to beware of!

Diana
Diana was believed to be the goddess of the moon. Her twin brother Apollo was the god
of the sun. She was also the goddess of hunting so she was always armed with a bow and
arrows and is often shown wearing hunting boots.
A popular legend said that when she caught a hunter called Actaeon spying on her whilst
bathing she turned him into a stag!
Her mother Leto was thought to have given birth to Diana and Apollo very easily so Diana
was a goddess often prayed to by pregnant women.
Apollo
Apollo was the Roman god of the sun. He was believed to drive a chariot (horse drawn
buggy) across the sky, moving the sun to bring day and night
He was prayed to for a number of different things. He was believed to be able to heal the
sick, create music, find the truth and more!
His main power was to harness the light of the sun.
Venus
Venus was the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She was believed to have been
born in the sea and is sometimes depicted in a large scallop shell!
She was thought to be both kind and ruthless when it suited her.
She was one of the most popular gods and even attracted her own groups who thought
that she was the most important god. These were known as cults of Venus.
Julius Caesar (a Roman Emperor) claimed that she was his ancestor.

Minerva
Minerva was the goddess of wisdom. She was often pictured carrying an owl which was
thought to be a wise creature. It was common for Romans involved in schools and
business to follow her.
She was believed to have had a very unusual birth, popping directly out of her father
Jupiter’s head!
Some writings suggest that she was also the goddess of medicine and doctors. She was
not, however, afraid of blood shed having helped to slay the Medusa (snake headed
monster).
Mars
Mars was the Roman god of war. He was believed to be the father of Romulus and Remus
who founded Rome. He was the second most important god to the Romans. It was
common for him to be worshipped by Roman legionaries (soldiers).
Although he is often thought to represent conflict and fighting, he was most commonly
represented holding a shield for defense. This was because the military power of Rome
was thought of as a way to secure peace.
Cupid
Cupid was the son of Venus and the god of desire and affection. He carried a bow and
arrow which were the source of his power. Anyone hit by him was overwhelmed by love!
He was considered quite mischievous by the Romans.

Student sheet two
You are now a member of one of the conquered territories of the Roman Empire.
Task:
1) Read your character card. Complete the first row of your table with the information from your card.
2) Move around the room. Meet each of the other five characters completing the rest of your table as you go.
Name From Beliefs How did the Romans treat this person?

Name: Andraste
From: Bath, Britain
Religious beliefs:
As a Briton, you believe in many of your own
gods. At the hot springs in Bath you worship
the goddess Sulis who you believe is wise.
How did the Romans treat you?
When the Romans arrived they built a town in
Bath and developed the baths. They called the
town Aquae Sulis. They built a temple to your
goddess. They combined the worship of their
own goddess Minerva, with the worship of
your goddess and called her ‘Sulis Minerva.’
Name: Bardiya
From: Persia
Religious beliefs:
You believe in the Persian god known as
Mithras. Mithras is a god concerned with the
battle between good and evil. You have many
secrets and rituals and you worship in
underground temples.
When the Romans arrived many of the soldiers
adopted your religion. However, this religion
was only for men!
Keyword: Adopted – to take on a religion
Name: Chileos
From: Greece
Religious beliefs:
You have several gods. One god you believe in
is the Greek god Ascelpios. You believe that if
you get ill, you have to sleep at the temple of
Asclepios and he will cure you in the night.
The Romans really liked your religion. They
happily started worshipping Asclepios
themselves. They even built temples to him in
Rome!

Name: Paul
From: You are a Roman citizen but you travel
all over the empire and the world to spread
the message of Christianity.
Religious beliefs:
You are a Christian. You believe that there is
only one God. You believe that Jesus was the
son of God.
At first the Romans saw no problem with Jesus
or his followers. However, you now believe
that Jews persuaded the Roman governor to
crucify Jesus. After this, people like you who
believe in Christ began to travel around to
spread the word. You have been persecuted in
many ways. 250 years later Christianity would
become very popular and eventually
Constantine would make it the official Roman
religion.
Name: Drustan
From: Anglesey, Britain
Religious beliefs:
You are a Druid. You believe that only the
Druids know the secrets of the Gods. You are
respected by the leaders of many tribes who
will often ask for your advice. You believe in
human sacrifice.
The Romans were determined to wipe out
your people because you would often stand up
to them and help fight against them. They
chased the Druids killed them all.
Name: Ezra
From: Judea, Syria
Religious beliefs:
You are a Jew. You believe that there is a single
God who created the universe. You have
many laws which affect every part of your life.
Your home of Judea is occupied by the
Romans. At first you were allowed a lot of
freedom and your leader King Herod was
allowed to build a huge new temple. However,
in 41 AD you began to be angry that your city
was occupied and to revolt against the Romans.
In retaliation, the emperor Vespasian sent in
50,000 Roman troops who killed one million
Jewish people.

6 Roman religion tolerance

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