Religion played a central role in Roman daily life and customs surrounding death. The Romans believed in many gods like Jupiter, king of the gods, Neptune who ruled the sea, and Pluto who ruled the underworld. They built temples to gods and made daily offerings and sacrifices to ensure gods' favor. Funerals and burial rites were also deeply religious affairs, with coins placed under the deceased's tongue to pay the ferryman Charon, and elaborate rituals to ensure a good afterlife judgment. The Roman pantheon of gods, and religious customs surrounding life and death, reflected how integral religion was to everyday life and society in ancient Rome.

1. TITLE: How did Religion impact
life and death in Rome?
What films have
you seen that
refer to Roman
Gods?
Starter
Percy Jackson
and the
lightning thief

2. TITLE: How did Religion impact
life and death in Rome?Learning Objectives
Level 3
• ALL: Will be list some of the different
Roman Gods and their meaning
Level 4
• MOST: Can describe how the Romans
worshipped the gods
Level 5
• SOME: Can link the importance of religion
to the importance of death in Ancient Rome

3. The Roman Gods

4. Once upon a time…Way back when
their father, the
mighty Saturn, died,
and the brothers
first divided up the
world, Jupiter took
the sky, Neptune
took the sea, and
Pluto took the
underworld.
In time, Jupiter
became the king of
all the gods.
Neptune married
happily. As for Pluto,
he was quite was
content, living in the
Underworld.

5. Roman God: Jupiter
Greek name : Zeus
King of all the Gods
• Brother of Neptune
and Pluto
• Wife; Juno
• Lots of children
• He was the master of
the gods and the main
god of the Romans. He
held thunderbolts
which he could hurl
from the sky.

6. Roman Goddess: Juno
Greek name : Hera
Queen of all the Gods
• Husband; Jupiter
• Many stories of jealousy,
anger and revenge
• She was the wife of Jupiter,
the goddess of women and
fertility. Protector of
marriage, spent most of
her time punishing the
many women Jupiter fell in
love with.

7. Roman God: Neptune
Greek name : Poseidon
Lord of the Sea
• Brother to Jupiter and Pluto
• Good looking
• Very powerful
• Many wives
• Sailors and people who
lived near the sea were
terrified of Neptune
• He was the powerful god of
the sea. His symbol was the
trident

8. Roman God: Pluto
Greek name : Hades
God of the Underworld
• Brother of Jupiter and
Neptune
• He had his faithful and
deeply loved companion, his
three-headed dog,
Cerberus.
• He was the god of the
underworld and the judge
of the dead. He was also the
god of mined metals like
gold and silver- the physical
underworld.

9. Roman God: Mars
Greek name : Aries
God of War
• Son of Jupiter and Juno
• Tall, handsome, mean
and self centred
• Did not care who won a
battle, just liked
bloodshed
• He was the god of war,
the strongest and most
fearsome god, except for
Jupiter.

10. Roman Goddess; Venus
Greek name : Aphrodite
Goddess of Love and
Beauty
• Daughter of Jupiter
• Could be kind and
harsh
• She was the goddess
of love and beauty.

11. Roman Goddess: Minerva
Greek name : Athena
Goddess of Wisdom
• Daughter of Jupiter
• No mother
• Born out of Jupiter’s
brain
• Jupiter’s favourite child
• She was the goddess of
wisdom, learning, art
crafts and industry. Her
symbol was the owl.

12. Roman Goddess: Ceres
Greek name : Demeter
Goddess of Harvest
• Very popular with
the plebeians
• She was the goddess
of the harvest,
always depicted
carrying a bundle of
grain.

13. Roman Goddess; Diana
Greek name : Artemis
God of Hunting and
the Moon
• Twin brother;
Apollo
• Cold and pitiless
• She was the
goddess of hunting
and a goddess of
the moon.

14. Roman God; Mercury
Greek name : Hermes
Messenger of the Gods
• Son of Jupiter
• Mischievous
• He was the messenger of
the gods. The wings on
his helmet and sandals
allowed him to travel
quickly to wherever a god
might send him. He was
the god of travellers and
tradesmen.

15. Roman Goddess; Vesta
Greek name : Hestia
Goddess of the Home
• Jupiter’s sister
• Important to women
• Watched over women
sewing and cooking
• She was the goddess of
the hearth and home
and was very important
to Romans. In her
temple a flame was
always kept burning

16. Roman God; Apollo
Greek name : Apollo
God of Sun, Music and
Light
• Son of Jupiter
• Twin sister – Diana
• God of music,
healing, light, and
truth. He moved the
sun across the sky.

17. All of the planets, except for Earth, were
named after Roman gods and goddesses.
Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury
were given their names thousands of
years ago. Those were the planets that
the ancient Romans could see in the sky
without a telescope.
The other planets in our solar system
were not discovered until much later,
when telescopes were invented. Even
then, the tradition of naming the planets
after Roman gods and goddesses
continued.

18. Religion in everyday life Q: Describe how Religion impacted
everyday life in Rome?

19. Religion and Death
When you die you are escorted to the
River Styx by spirits. There, you are met by
Charon, the ferryman. A coin is needed as
payment to get across safely.
You would pass Cerberus (the 3headed
dog) who guarded the gates of the
underworld
You will go before the three judges, who
will ask you to account for your life.
• Elysian Fields (warrior or hero)
• Plain of Asphodel (good citizens)
• Tartarus (punished by furies)

20. Religion and Death
Funerals were very important…
Romans were cremated/buried with a coin
under their tongue
Additional mourners were hired to wail
and pull out their hair- that showed your
wealth!
Actors re-enacted parts of your life
Romans were dressed in their best so they
could make a good impression on the 3
judges
There would be a big feast and sacrifices to
the gods

21. Why were the gods so important to
the Romans?
The Romans had many gods, for example …….
The romans has so many gods because …….

22. TITLE: How did Religion impact
life and death in Rome?Learning Objectives
Level 3
• ALL: Will be list some of the different
Roman Gods and their meaning
Level 4
• MOST: Can describe how the Romans
worshipped the gods
Level 5
• SOME: Can link the importance of religion
to the importance of death in Ancient Rome

23. Gods- Assessment
Explain how Religion impacted on everyday life in
Rome? - 20 mins
Mark Scheme
LEVEL3 Generalised answer with weak or implied points made.
LEVEL 4 A more detailed and accurate description.
LEVEL 5 You make a judgement on the most important point
Make 3 detailed separate points