What culture influenced Roman religion?

Answer 1

Well at first the Greek polytheistic (multiple gods) religion including Zeus, Hera, Athena, Poseidon, etc... influenced them at first. Later on in the empire after the time of the emperor Nero I believe they were influenced by the Christians after the battle where Constantine saw a flaming cross in the sky etc... He turned the empire into a Christian empire and later when West Rome fell and east Rome turned into the Byzantine Empire the Byzantine Empire was a Christian empire which lasted until the 1400's when it was taken over and turned into the country of Turkey which is now predominately Muslim.

Answer 2

At the beginning of Rome there was some influence by the Sabines who lived to the east of Rome. The foundation of Rome was said to have involved a fusion between the local Latins and some Sabines who settled on two of the Seven Hills of Rome.

It in the archaic (early) days of Rome there was Etruscaninfluence. It is difficult to ascertain the actual extent of Etruscan influence on Rome. The fashionable theory that the Etruscans conquered or dominated Rome, or that the urban development of Rome in the 6th century BC was due to the Etruscans has been challenged. The evidence base of this theory is flimsy and it is based on unproven assumptions. Recent archaeological evidence suggests a different picture. Moreover, the Etruscan civilisation disappeared quite early and very little Etruscan writing, which has not been fully deciphered, has survived. There are minimal archaeological finds in the city of Rome because the Etruscans had an influence in the archaic (early) days of Rome and ancient Rome was continually redeveloped over the many centuries of its history. The Etruscans were one of the various peoples who had some influence on Roman religion. Early Roman architecture might have been influenced by the Etruscans as well as the Greeks. However, if this was the case, the Etruscan order (style) was soon abandoned. The Roman preferred the Greek orders because the Etruscan one was unadorned and rustic.

Greek influence started very early on in Roman history. The Greeks established colonies (settlements) in southern Italy in the 8th and 7th century BC. Being a more advanced civilisation, their arrival had a big impact on all the Italic peoples they came in contact with during the archaic (early) period. This led to the adoption and adaptation of the western Greek alphabet by all Italic peoples, including the Latins (the Romans were Latins). Greek motifs for pottery decoration and Greek architectural styles were adopted by the Etruscans. Etruscan civilisation arose out of trade with and influence by these Greeks in what has been called the orientalising period. Recent archaeological evidence has shown that the archaic Latins were also involved in this process and that there was influence from the Greeks of Cumae (a Greek city near Naples) as well as the Etruscans. This is not surprising as both were neighbours. In the 6th century BC the Romans started using the books of the Sibylline who were Greek oracles, some of whom lived in Cumae in Italy.

The biggest influence was fom the Greeks. Greek influence on the Romans continued past the archaic period. During the Second Punic War (218-202 BC) they 'imported' Cybele (whom they called Magna Mater, Great Mother) a Greek goddess because the sibylline oracles said that with this Rome could defeat Carthage. The Romans also adopted the Greek god Apollo, who was an oracular god; that is he was the god of the oracles. The Romans also adopted the Greek gods Aesclepius (Apollo's son) Castor and Pollux.

Influence from the Greeks of mainland Greece increased. By the time the Romans became involved in mainland Greece in the third century BC, the Roman elites had already become Hellenised (absorbed Greek culture). The elites looked up to the Greeks. Their education was both in Latin and Greek and they were fluent in Greek. The highest stage in their education was a stay in Greece to study Greek philosophy. The earliest educators in Rome were Greeks. In Rome there were Greek libraries as well as Latin ones. The Romans adopted some Greek gods and linked their gods to the Greek ones. They also absorbed much of Greek mythology. Roman architecture and sculpture were based on Greek models; hence the term Greco-Roman art, and Greek artists were highly praised in Rome.