The early Romans had no religious temples or statues to honour the spirits or gods. The first temples and statues of gods in Rome were built by Etruscan kings. The first of these, a temple on Capitaline hill, was built to honour Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.
The Romans saw their religion as a contract between man and the Gods for this reason. For this reason, ceremonies were performed with great attention to detail.
The Romans saw their religion as a contract between man and the Gods for this reason. For this reason, ceremonies were performed with great attention to detail.
Even if the tiniest mistake was made, it was believed that the Gods would no longer be compelled to uphold their end of the contract. Along with the idea of a contract with the Gods came the practice of the votum. The votum was a specific vow to the Gods. If one wanted a specific favour/blessing, they would promise to complete certain rituals or sacrifices if their prayers were answered. During the Roman rebublic (509 BC–27 BC), the same men who were elected public officials served as augurs and pontiffs.
Priests married, raised families, and led politically active lives. Julius Caesar became Pontifex Maximus before he was elected Consul. The augurs read the will of the gods and supervised the marking of boundaries as a reflection of universal order, thus sanctioning Roman Expansionism as a matter of divine destiny.