Religio Romana
Contents

Calendar of Holidays and Festivals

Declaration of Roman Paganism

Legends of Rome

Priests and Priesthoods

Foreign Priesthoods

Rites and Rituals

Religion of the Home: a brief history

Roman Gods and Goddesses

Roman Philosophy

Roman Beliefs about the Afterlife

What We Mean by Pagan Reconstructionism

Record of Rituals and Offerings Done by Our Priests

Why the Religio Romana is Important to Nova Roma

Links on Roman religion and related topics

Religio Romana

Roman Religion in Antiquity and Today

The Religio Romana is the pre-Christian religion of Rome. Sometimes called "Roman Paganism", the modern practice of the Religio Romana is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient faith of Rome as closely as possible, making as few concessions to modern sensibilities as possible. As with other forms of historical reconstructionist paganism, every attempt is made to rely on actual historical and archaeological evidence, and interpolations are made only when the primary sources are silent, and then we strive to be consistent with them.

The Religio Romana began as the simple earth-based faith of the farmers of the village of Rome. Influenced by their Etruscan (and later Greek) neighbors, the Romans developed a complex State Religion that emphasised duty to the Gods (pietas) and serving them through exactly prescribed rituals. As Cicero stated in his work, "On the Nature of the Gods"--

"I am quite certain that Romulus by instituting auspices, and Numa ritual, laid the foundations of our state, which would never have been able to be so great had not the immortal gods been placated to the utmost extent."

It cannot be approached by inserting Roman deity names into Greek religion, modern Wicca or any other system, for Roman religion is a unique product of the culture that created it. It is a faith that demands steadfastness and devotion to duty. It involves working in harmony with the eternal gods and with universal order, for the benefit not only of ourselves but also the world around us; with right action and attitudes towards the gods, both the State and the individual will prosper. Yet the Religio Romana involves more than pious action and worldly power; there are also Mystery traditions which focus on inner spiritual growth, and these too will be addressed by Nova Roma as we continue to expand and improve our understanding and emulation of our glorious spiritual ancestors.

Links

Mailing lists

The Religio Romana Mailing List: Official email list of the Collegium Pontificum of Nova Roma for the discussion of all aspects of the Religio Romana both theoretical and practical.

The Mithras Mailing List: An email list that discusses all aspects of the Roman Mithraic Mysteries. Includes subscription information.

Virtual Temples

Temple of Iuppiter: Web site where visitors can leave public prayers to the God.

Temple of Iuno: Web site where visitors can leave public prayers to the Goddess.

Temple of Minerva: Learn about the Religio, appreciate Her divine images, leave an offering

Temple of Concordia, Pax et Salus Publica: Web site manteined by Provincia Brasilia, the visitors can leave public prayers to these three numina. It has also good archeological information about the ancient roman temples.

Temple of the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux): Web site where visitors can leave public prayers to the Dioscuri.

Greco-Roman Paganism Sites

Biblioteca Arcana: Collections of Greco-Roman magical and religious information. Wonderful!

Greco-Roman Paganism in the Modern World: Links to a number of sites.

Societas Hellenica Antiquariorum: A Greek reconstructionist organization based in Greece. Excellent.

The Home Page of Pallas Athena: Dedicated to the Greek Minerva, patron Goddess of Athens.

The Julian Society: Dedicated to seeing classical Paganism once more recognized and legitimized.

Numinism: A fascinating neo-Roman paganism site advocating "Numinism".

The Stele: Home page of the Omphalos Hellenic paganism information center.

Lusitania Province has further religous links on its home page.

Mythology Sites

Encyclopedia Mythica: A huge compendium of information; the Roman section alone has nearly 300 entries! They also have sections on a wide variety of other cultures.

Myths and Legends: A comprehensive guide to web-based resources on mythology. First-rate.

Other Reconstructionist Paganism Sites

Asatru Folk Assembly: A reconstructionist Norse pagan organization.

Ásatrúarfélagið: Reconstructionist Norse pagans based in Iceland.

The House of Isis and Osiris: Devoted to the Mysteries of Classical Western Paganism (decidedly Egyptian).

IMBAS: Celtic reconstructionism; definitely not Wicca with Celtic God-names. New URL

Internet Newsgroups

alt.mythology

alt.pagan

alt.pagan.contacts

soc.religion.paganism also has a home page including FAQ