Chapter 4 Favour and Punishment Favour and punishment

Chapter 4 Favour and Punishment

Favour and punishment ● the gods were an important part of everyday life ● the Romans wanted to please the gods so that the gods would help them ● the Romans believed that if they made the gods angry they would be punished by them

Temples ● temples were thought of as houses where divine beings lived ● temples usually had treasuries to store the gifts offered to the gods ● temple architecture was often based on Greek architecture ● usually temples were dedicated to one god or goddess; the most famous temple in Rome, the Pantheon, was dedicated to all of them

Priests and priestesses ● in ancient Rome, priests and priestesses helped the Romans understand what the gods wanted ● some priests and priestesses had to change their way of life to fulfill their duties; for example, the Vestal Virgins ● most priesthoods were not a way of life or a full time position ● there were social and political benefits to being a priest

Favour: sacrifices and offerings ● to earn favour with a god or goddess a Roman could do a number of things ○ offer the chosen god or goddess a sacrifice, such as an animal, grain, cakes or vegetables ■ ○ sacrifices had to follow strict rituals promise to offer something in exchange for receiving favour or assistance; these gifts were called votive offerings and could be big (such as a temple) or small (such as a small model) ○ offer a libation; this was a liquid gift such as wine or oil

Punishment ● the Romans believed that the gods would punish mortals who violated the laws of the gods or made them angry ● when the gods were angry they could punish entire cities by sending floods, famine and disease ● the punishments of the gods were not always what we would consider to be fair ● the Romans feared the anger of the gods; the Romans had their own punishments for people who angered the gods

Curses ● sometimes the Romans asked the gods to punish others ● they could do this by using a curse tablet ● curse tablets were made of thin sheets of lead, clay or wood ● curses, asking a god to punish someone, would be written on them ● the curse tablets were often rolled up, thrown into water, buried in the ground or left somewhere significant

The Underworld ● in Greek myths, the Underworld was a place where good people were rewarded after death and bad people were punished ● the Elysian Fields were a place of perfect happiness but Tartarus was where the worst punishments were given to those who angered the gods ● Greek myths tell tales of gruesome punishments in the Underworld ● the Romans seemed to have enjoyed these stories but told very few of their own; instead many Romans believed that punishment was more likely to take place during their lifetime than after their death