Religion
Religion and Gods were a huge part of ancient Rome, and looking into the well persevered remains of Herculaneum and Pompeii, we can see that it was a large part of their daily life. Many people recognised and worshiped the Gods not only in their homes but also in public.
Small shrines called lararia were found in the houses of Herculaneum and Pompeii. These shrines or lararia were filled with small statues or paintings of the household gods, they sometimes even held a painting of the house owner. Every morning the house owner would offer something to the gods and say a prayer. This was believed to allow protection and prosperity to the household. There where also monthly offerings to the gods. These shrines were also used for many other ceremonies such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and coming of age.
The daily household religion rituals were very important to the people of Herculaneum and Pompeii. During the 79 AD eruption many people took their statues and paintings with them, we know this because the houses where found with missing statues and paintings, and those who were not lucky enough to escape the explosion were found with their statues next to them.
There has been no discovery of any temples in Herculaneum however the oldest surviving temple is found in Pompeii. It was built in the sixth century, it is a Doric temple and is believed to have been built for Herakles, the god who founded Herculaneum and Pompeii. Another temple built around this same time is the temple of Apollo. This temple has been repaired and remodelled several times as it was damaged in the 62 AD earthquake. Many of the temples were damaged in the 62 AD earthquake and were either in the middle of being rebuilt or left as ruins when Mount Vesuvius erupted.
One of the best preserved temples in the temple of Isis. Those who worshipped Isis would gather in this temple twice a day, once in the morning to worship the sun, and once in the afternoon for the water ceremony. Although this temple was also badly damaged in the 62 AD earthquake it was fully repaired. Many of the artworks that were inside this temple have been removed by excavators and placed into the Naples museum.
This is the entrance to the temple of Isis
It is believed that the people of Pompeii may have also followed Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Greek mythology. This is because archaeologists in Pompeii have found a statue of the Hindu fertility god Laskshmi and a stature of a Greek fertility god Sabazius.
Public worship of God is shown all over Pompeii, there are images and statues of the gods found almost everywhere. On the roads there are more than 20 small doors that lead to public shrines, these were filled with images of the god, painted scenes from sacrifices and statues of the gods. There have also been many altars found in the streets of Pompeii. This gives a clear indication to how relevant and important the god where to the ancient people of Pompeii. Many shop walls have paintings of the god and they are even mentioned in graffiti.
In the Pompeii excavations, whole streets of tombs have been uncovered outside the walls of the city. Many of the inscriptions on the graves have significant and valuable information about the people inside the tombs. This has mostly helped the historians understand more about the freedmen and freedwoman. In the Pompeii, the bodies of the dead were cremated and then placed into a urns, this urns was then put inside the tomb outside of the city walls. Many families were buried side by side in different tombs.
Small shrines called lararia were found in the houses of Herculaneum and Pompeii. These shrines or lararia were filled with small statues or paintings of the household gods, they sometimes even held a painting of the house owner. Every morning the house owner would offer something to the gods and say a prayer. This was believed to allow protection and prosperity to the household. There where also monthly offerings to the gods. These shrines were also used for many other ceremonies such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and coming of age.
The daily household religion rituals were very important to the people of Herculaneum and Pompeii. During the 79 AD eruption many people took their statues and paintings with them, we know this because the houses where found with missing statues and paintings, and those who were not lucky enough to escape the explosion were found with their statues next to them.
There has been no discovery of any temples in Herculaneum however the oldest surviving temple is found in Pompeii. It was built in the sixth century, it is a Doric temple and is believed to have been built for Herakles, the god who founded Herculaneum and Pompeii. Another temple built around this same time is the temple of Apollo. This temple has been repaired and remodelled several times as it was damaged in the 62 AD earthquake. Many of the temples were damaged in the 62 AD earthquake and were either in the middle of being rebuilt or left as ruins when Mount Vesuvius erupted.
One of the best preserved temples in the temple of Isis. Those who worshipped Isis would gather in this temple twice a day, once in the morning to worship the sun, and once in the afternoon for the water ceremony. Although this temple was also badly damaged in the 62 AD earthquake it was fully repaired. Many of the artworks that were inside this temple have been removed by excavators and placed into the Naples museum.
This is the entrance to the temple of Isis
It is believed that the people of Pompeii may have also followed Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Greek mythology. This is because archaeologists in Pompeii have found a statue of the Hindu fertility god Laskshmi and a stature of a Greek fertility god Sabazius.
Public worship of God is shown all over Pompeii, there are images and statues of the gods found almost everywhere. On the roads there are more than 20 small doors that lead to public shrines, these were filled with images of the god, painted scenes from sacrifices and statues of the gods. There have also been many altars found in the streets of Pompeii. This gives a clear indication to how relevant and important the god where to the ancient people of Pompeii. Many shop walls have paintings of the god and they are even mentioned in graffiti.
In the Pompeii excavations, whole streets of tombs have been uncovered outside the walls of the city. Many of the inscriptions on the graves have significant and valuable information about the people inside the tombs. This has mostly helped the historians understand more about the freedmen and freedwoman. In the Pompeii, the bodies of the dead were cremated and then placed into a urns, this urns was then put inside the tomb outside of the city walls. Many families were buried side by side in different tombs.
This is what the tombs of Pompeii look like. The ash fall from the eruption has preserved the writing on the tombs. This has helped historians find out more about the people and their religion. Although this source has given great insight on how the people lived, it is not without limitations. Many of the inscriptions were broken in the eruption, as seen in the photo. This meant some information or words were missing.
These are the inscriptions that were left on the tombs describing the person and what gods they praised. These have large historical significance as they gave historians more information about the life’s the people of Pompeii lived.
These are the urns that the cremated remains of the deceased were placed in.
These are the inscriptions that were left on the tombs describing the person and what gods they praised. These have large historical significance as they gave historians more information about the life’s the people of Pompeii lived.
These are the urns that the cremated remains of the deceased were placed in.