Classical civilisation - Greek and Roman Gods

What is Zeus' roman name - why?

Jupiter - Comes from father Jove (Jove is the sky God)

What is Zeus' job

Zeus is king of the Gods, God of the skies, fate of mankind and keeper of justice.

What is Poseidon's roman name

Neptune

What is Poseidon's job

God of the seas, oceans, earthquakes and storms. (And horses)

Why was Neptune important for the Romans?

As they were always expanding and using horses to travel he was important. They were also next to the Mediterranean sea.

What is Hades' Roman name?

Pluto

What is Hades' job?

Ruler of the underworld, god/judge of the dead

What stories does Hades make an appearance in?

He appears in the abduction of Persephone and in the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

What is Hera's roman name?

Juno

What is Hera's jobs?

Queen of the Gods, Goddess of marriage, childbirth, women and family.

Why does Hera oppose the Trojans?

Because the Paris of Trojan gave the golden apple to Aphrodite instead of Hera.

Zeus' iconography

Eagle, beard, lighting bolt, throne and sceptre

Poseidon's iconography

Beard, trident, bulls, horses, dolphins (sea creatures) pine trees.

Hades' iconography

Cornucopia, helmet of invisibility, with his wife, bearded, with Cerberus, sitting down.

Hera iconography

Wearing a diadem, holding a sceptre, with a peacock, cows, lions, cuckoo.

What is Athena's Roman name?

Minerva

Athena's iconography

An owl, battle armour, Aegis, helmet, spear.

What is Athena the Goddess of?

God goddess of wisdom, battle strategy (war)

How was Athena born?

Metis told Zeus that his next child would be the leader of the Gods, Zeus turned Metis into a fly and swallowed her. This caused him to have a headache, called upon Hephaestus who split open his head with a hammer/axe. Athena appeared out of Zeus' head.

What is Demeter's Roman name?

Ceres

What is Demeter's job?

Goddess of agriculture and harvest, fertility of the land and earth, life and death and the seasons.

Demeter's iconography

Bundle of wheat, grain, flowers. Wearing a diadem.

Who was Demeter/Ceres important to and why?

The Roman plebeians as grain and bread was quite cheap so it was what they lived off.

What is Hestia's roman name?

Vesta

What is Hestia's job

Goddess of the home and hearth, looked to as a symbol of security.

Hesita's iconography

Veiled head, by a fire or a bum.

Why was Vesta important to the Romans?

She was a symbol of security and was important to the state as the hearth was the central part of the home. She had a priest hood and a temple complex.

What is Hephaistos' Roman name

Vulcan

What is Hephaistos' job

God of the fire and the flame, forger and craftsmanship.

Hephaistos' iconography

With a hammer, with a limp (weird foot), on a donkey or mule.

What is Hephaistos/Vulcan's festival called?

The Roman festival was called Vulcanalia.

What is Aphrodite's Roman name?

Venus

What is Aphrodite's job

Goddess of love, beauty and fertility

Aphrodite's iconography

Naked, veiled head, dove, swans, flowers, rising from a sea shell.

Why is Aphrodite/Venus important to the Romans?

She was the mother to the ancestral founder Aeneas. The roman emperor Augustus linked this to his own family and used Venus' symbols in his art.

What is Artemis' Roman name

Diana

What is Artemis the goddess of

The hunt, wildlife, childbirth. Associated with the moon. And being a virgin.

Artemis' iconography

Bow and arrow, with wild animals, moon, deer

Why did her cult have a following with slaves and the poor?

Because the Roman emperor Severus Tillius (the 6th emperor) built the temple and he was rumoured to originally have been a slave.

What is Apollo's Roman name?

Apollo

What is Apollo the God of?

God of music, the arts, education, archery, prophecies, health and plague. Often associated with justice. God of the sun. (interchangeable with Helios)

Apollo iconography

Bow and arrow, lyre, with eternal youth, swan raven, laurel.

What is Hermes' Roman name?

Mercury

What is Hermes' job

God of messengers, travel, trade, money, trickery, herds and athletics.

Hermes' iconography

travellers cap (petasos), caduceus, winged sandals, ram

Ares' Roman name

Mars

What is Ares the God of

War. (Early in Roman history he was associated with agriculture)

Ares iconography

wearing armour, strong

Why is Ares important to Romans?

There is an area outside Rome called Campus Martius 'field of Mars' which is used as a training and assembling grounds for military.

Dionysus' roman name

Bacchus

What is Dionysus the God of?

Wine, theatre, ecstacy

Dionysus iconography

Thyrsus (wine cup), vines, animal skin, satyrs, maenads, leopard skin, feminine youth.

What is Dionysus/Bacchus' cult called.

Roman cult called Bacchanalia.

How were the Gods represented?

As anthropomorphic - human like features and feeling.

What are Etruscans?

One of the biggest tribes in Italy from the 9/8th century BC. They heavily influenced Roman culture.

What are Hellenes?

Greek people.

What is the Magna Graecia?

The area that the Greeks/Hellenes colonised. Means 'Great Greece'.

Where were lots of Roman temples located?

Aventine Hill.

What was the Roman festival for Demeter/Ceres called?

Cerealia

What significant battle was fought in 31BC?

The battle of Actium.

How is Mars connected the Rome.

Mars is the father of Romulus and Remus.

Why was Dionysus' cult banned in Rome?

Dionysus' cult Bacchanlia had many kinds of crimes and political conspiracies were supposed to be planed there. And the Senate feared rebellion and shut it down.