Gods and Goddesses of Pompeii and Herculaneum
Private Religion
A characteristic feature of Roman religion is the great importance of the household. In
the Roman economy the well being of each man, slave or free, depended on the fortunes
of the household, controlled by unseen powers. Part of the daily ritual would, therefore
have been to make offerings to these powers. The guardian spirits of the penus, the food
store of the ancient Italian house, are the penates, who together with Vesta, the deity of
the hearth, represented the material prosperity of the household. Its temporal identity is
represented by the Lares, the spirits of the ancestors. The ability of the living
paterfamilias to maintain the well-being of his home is in the hands of his own particular
guardian or Genius. Painted on the Lararium of one of the Vettii at Pompeii is his Genius
between two lares. In sacred dress- his toga draped over his head- he is pouring with his
right hand a libation and holding in his left a censer; he embodies the sacrel duties of the
paterfamilias.The Lares are pouring wine from one hand to another, an expression of
abundance. The snake is a symbol of the renewal of the life of the ancestors.
The overlap of public and private religion is seen in the officially organized cult of the
Lares Compitales, who lived in numerous street shrines which have been discovered all
over both towns.. As well the Cult of the Vestal Virgins, had a duty to look after the
sacred hearth of each Roman state. The household spirits are conceived of as protecting
the Pompeian community as a whole in the cult of Lares Publici, who had their temple in
the Forum.
A Pompeian baker , for example, will cultivate the Lares of his own house, and if his
workshop is separate from his house, the Lares of his workshop, which will include
Vesta, the patroness of bakers. If engaged in selling the bread , rather than making it he
will consider it prudent to cultivate the goodwill of Mercury, the patron of Commerce;
that is why he is represented carrying a bag of money on one side of the door of
Verecundus’ cloth manufacturing shop, together with, on the other side, the colony’s
guardian, Venus Pompeians( on a chariot drawn by elephants ), Fortune on a globe and
Abundance, holding a cornucopia and dish.
Our baker might also play some minor role in the running of a public cult. And he might
furthermore consider it essential to his happiness in this life and the next to be initiated
into the Mysteries of Isis or of Dionysus. When his wife had a baby, the deity to invoke
was Juno Lucina.
The gods of Pompeii and Herculaneum fall into various groups according to their origin.
First there are the Oscan gods ,eg Flora, the spirit of Agriculture. The Greek gods,
Apollo, Dionysus, Zeus, Athena and Heracles are frequently depicted in wall paintings.
The special guardian of the colony of Pompeii was Venus, who had her temple near the
Porta Marina. The older Roman gods, the Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva had their
prominent place at the Temple of the Capitoline, near the Forum.
Cults which appear to embrace the whole of society, such as the cult of the Emperor , had
no exclusive claim on anybody. The expression of this cult was seen in the Temples of
Fortuna Augusta and of Vespasian . Their dominant place near the forum was an
expression of political loyalty to Rome. Thus at a state level, politics and religion were
intertwined.
In general the state was not unfavourable to the introduction of foreign cults, .for example
Dionysus and Isis.The most notable exception was Christianity. With all the cults, the
initial threat to the social order was at first met with suppression, but eventually followed
by official adoption
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Activity
 After reading the above article and requisite internet links construct a
pyramid showing the hierarchy of gods worshipped by the people.
 Using the Internet find examples of paintings, or other archaeological
evidence of each level of religion.
 Suggest reasons why the Romans were receptive to the introduction of
foreign cults. Answer this question in terms of the role religion plays
in society.