Roman Afterlife Beliefs

In ancient Roman society, the act of dying does not have a finality to it like we see today. The deceased were viewed to continue their lives after death and still played a part in their living family's lives. This view of the continuation of a person's life even after death can be seen throughout the funeral rituals and burials. The traditional hierarchical system that was present throughout the Roman empire's pinnacle of success continues in burial procedures as the wealthiest and most successful individuals were honored more than others. With these funeral practices being developed by the Roman society, the values and perceptions that they hold of death are apparent through the rituals performed.

Roman religion is not as easy to identify or describe as one might immediately suppose. Much of the difficulty in defining the religion of the Roman Republic is due to its flexibility and variability, as well as the lack of any clear division between religion, politics, and civil society during this period. It can often be difficult to tell, for example, where Roman religion ends and political ideology begins. Despite these difficulties, it is possible to make certain generalized statements. Religion in the Roman republic was extremely integrated into everyday life, it is variable and individualized, and it played a key role in upholding Roman civil and military power structures. It is also important to remember that Roman religion is not static and underwent a constant process of change over several centuries, often due to political and social concerns.

Although the way in which Rome and Greece carried out their judgement differed, the judgement of both societies played a key role in determining the final destination of a soul in the afterlife. The picture in Document 1 depicts the weighing of Hunefer’s heart, which was taken from a page in the Book of the Dead, a collection of ancient Egyptian texts. This shows how judgement would be carried out using a scale that weighed an individual's heart to reflect upon their previous life. If the heart was heavier than a feather, then they would be sent to an eternity of suffering since it meant that they had lived an unjust life. If they lived a moral life, their heart would be lighter than the feather, and the individual was granted entrance to paradise; having a very different experience than others who had not passed judgement. Similarly to Egypt, ancient Rome had a form of judgment that determined one's fate in the afterlife. As shown in Document 2, instead of a scale determining an individual's fate in the afterlife, the Judges of the Dead Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadamanthys analyzed each Roman’s life on Earth. These three gods judged the individual based off how they lived their lives, which determined where their final destination would be in the afterlife. In Document 7 it says individuals were “judged [i.e. by the Judges of the Dead- Minos, Aeacus, Rhadamanthus] and depart to the

Ancient Romans, even before Caesar, had indicated that a human could have become divine after death. In cases of the Romans, ancient custom required divine honours as a law to be given to the father by the son. When fathers died, sons would perform funeral rites at the grave of their

Religion played a key role in the daily life and social system of Ancient Rome. Religion included the worship of many gods and more gods were often adopted from conquered areas. Because most religions were polytheist at the time, the Romans rarely disallowed a cult from a conquered region to continue. A few cults ran into controversy and opposition from citizens or government, such as the cult of Deus Sol Invictus, and that of Isis. Romans were also not keen on monotheistic religion which explains their separation from the Jews. But above all other religions, the Romans disagreed with, persecuted and were threatened most by Christianity.  The introduction of Christianity to the Roman Empire

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The afterlife in ancient Greece was Known as Hades. It was a grey world ruled by Hades, the Lord of the Dead. If they had a virtuous life they could enjoy the sunny pleasures of the Elysium or paradise, if they had a wicked life, then they fell into the dark pits of Tartarus, while if they

In ancient Greek beliefs people were also judged when they were down in the underworld. At the dividing road between Tartarus, a place of torture in the underworld and the Isles of the Blest, a place for the good in the underworld, there are the Plains of Judgment. Awaiting the souls in the Plain of Judgment are Aeacus, Minos, and Rhadamanthys. These dead men, judge who goes to Tartarus, who goes to the Isles of the Blest or back to the Asphodel Fields if they were neither good or evil. These men were all sons of Zeus who were rewarded as judges in the underworld by creating the first just laws on Earth. Aeacus was king of Aegina during mortal life and was also known for making decisions for Zeus. After his death he became keeper of the keys of Hades and the judge of men of Europe in the Underworld. Minos was the King of Crete, and Rhadamanthys was his brother. They both lived in Asia during their mortal lives. After his death, Rhadamanthys became lord of the Isles of the Blest, and judge of the men of Asia. After Minos died he gained the responsibility of having the final judgment. In The Odyssey, Odysseus says " And now there came before my eyes Minos, the son of Zeus, enthroned, holding a golden staff, dealing out justice among ghostly pleaders arrayed about the broad doorways of Death.". (XI. 640) The Greeks believed Minos had a lot of power in the underworld. In Roman beliefs Rhadamanthus had control over the punishments people

Throughout the history of Rome, from the monarchy to the late empire, religion had played a great role in it's society and was involved in almost every aspect of the life of the Roman citizen. It was common for each house to have it's own patron god/gods and ,on special occasions, the head of the house would make a sacrifice to the personal gods of the family. Also, great festivals were usually held in honor of certain gods and would include spectacles like chariot races and Gladiatorial fights.

Religion played a significant role in the Roman civilization but, “many people believe that Rome was not a religious place. What they probably mean is that it was not a moral place.” (Burrell, 65) The Romans had innumerable gods that they worshiped which included giving gifts and sacrificing for their gods. Sacrificing animals was common for ancient Roman civilization. The idea of sacrificing came from the people before the Roman Empire was built. Religion primarily used sacrificing as a means of showing appreciation to the gods but later became a way to get things from the gods. The increases in the expansion of Rome lead to an increasing number of sacrifices. Roman sacrifice was done in many different ways and there were numerous

The Greek and Roman religions were the two major religions that were established in the ancient world. Greek religion was the first to be recognized and instituted, followed by the Roman religion. Many people believed that the Romans mimicked the Greek religion; however this was a common misconception, even though they appeared to be the same there are many distinctions between the Romans and the Greeks. Even the similarities between the two religions had slight distinctions, like their gods, they had similar functions but some of their gods were completely unique to one culture (Ferguson 154). Roman religion also had different concepts like religio, ideas about afterlife and gods that emphasis on household religion. The Romans integrated certain aspects of Greek religion into their own practices, they also maintained their own ideas which made it unique and separated the Romans from the Greeks.

The Greeks believed that the importance of where you go depends on the manner of your death, the behavior you had while still alive and how you were buried could affect where or what happens to you. This is similar to reincarnation because ideas are that the way you act while you are alive, conclude what type of person you are in the future. The way you are buried affect what type of person you become in your future life, such as rather you are buried or cremated. The differences between the Greeks thoughts and mine are that when you die in the Greeks thought, you go to the Underworld if you were judged to be “bad” and if you were “good” you went to Elysium. In reincarnation, some people can go to different places or you can be reincarnated. Another difference is that the Greeks believed in the underworld, if you traveled there your loved ones would be there and available to talk to. With reincarnation you are reborn into a completely different life and are unaware of who your past family was or any relation to your past life

The Ancient Romans believed and carried out the sacred traditions of taking care of the dead by disposing those by either burying or cremating the body, it was also ensured that citizens were promised a formal burial. However, the social status of whoever died would also depend on how the body was disposed and treated which helped establish the difference between the Patricians and Plebs. It was widely believed by the Romans that death established the great segregation of body and soul.

The main differences between the way the Romans practices their religion and the way in which most modern-day religions are practiced are the following. Modern day Christian religion duties follow spirula traditional like baptisms and first communions, but the Romans religion duties were not a spiritual kind. Unlike Christianity, Roman religion is forced upon them at birth, adoption, or grant of Roman citizens. Roman children did not go to class to be taught how to act according to their society. When modern day Christians to bible school they worship one supreme God. The Romans followed a polytheistic religion. Unlike the modern time's religions, they practiced worshiping many gods that were varied according to the community. The first Amendment states, “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” SITE In the modern day we see no connection between state power and the church's authority to control the people of the community. However, the Roman “church and state” were connected. Modern day religious practices use God to put fear in the minds of their to control their actions. The Roman religion had the community reflect on their actions with reasons. The way the Roman used the god’s for understanding reason is more of an intelligent way to understand life, rather having the fear to sin. Is reason more effective than fear?

– “The years as they come bring many agreeable things with them; as they go, they take many away” – Horace (65BC – 8BC)