Not all of the gods that the ancient Romans worshiped were originally Roman gods. Each time the Romans heard a myth about a god or goddess from the people they met and conquered, if they liked it, they adopted it and made it their own. When they heard about the Greek gods they adopted them all! The Romans changed many of the Greek god's names to Roman names. But the Romans left their personalities the same, along with their role and all of the myths and legends.
god of the Underworld
Greek Name
Roman Name
Responsibilities
Aphrodite
Venus
goddess of beauty and love
Ares
Mars
god of war
Artemis
Diana
goddess of hunting and childbirth
Athena
Minerva
goddess of war, wisdom, and crafts
Demeter
Ceres
goddess of the harvest
Hera
Juno
protector of women; wife of Zeus/Jupiter
Hermes
Mercury
messenger of the gods
Hades
Pluto
Poseidon
Neptune
god of the sea
Zeus
Jupiter
king of the gods 
Celabration and Festivals!
Bacchanalia | Dionysiac festivals held in honor of the god Bacchus, Bacchanalia were so cool in ancient Rome that the Roman Senate suppressed the celebration of these rites in 186 B.C.
Feralia | this Roman festival was a type of All Souls Day when the departed were honored
Floralia | the Floralia was a festival devoted to Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and plants
Liberalia | this festival was a celebration for the Roman god Liber (who, incidentally, was identified with the Greek god Dionysus)
Lemuria | the name Lemuria indicates the time during which the lemures, or "hungry ghosts", wandered the earth
Lupercalia | fertility and purification were the goals of the somewhat strange Roman festival known as the Lupercalia
Parentalia | this All Souls festival was used to honor the dead, and it culminated in the public celebration of the Feralia (see above)
Saturnalia | this merry Roman festival is dedicated to the Roman god Saturn involved feasts and gift giving
Wedding Custums
When did they get married:Both parties had to be adults, and they could not marry more than one person at a time. For the first 500 years in Rome, divorce was unknown. So that ment you had to pick someone you truly loved or... oh well! The groom had to be at least 14 years old, and the bride had to be 12 years old. The bride and groom could not be related at all. Marriage was forbidden between families and between anyone connected by marriage. So if fell in love with your cousin or bother or sister...sorry but its just not happening!
Engagement: An engagement was before the wedding was considered good manners, but it wasn't a legal requirement. An engagement ring was very common if you could afford it. This ring was worn on the third finger of the left hand. We still use this custom till this day. Ancient Romans believed that a nerve ran from this finger directly to the heart. The ancient Romans invented the use of rings as tokens of friendship and engagement.
Dowrie: The bride would supply gifts and offering to the husband. Or goods she could supply herself. The bride's family might provide slaves, clothing, jewels, furniture. These gifts would become under the husbands control!
Clothing & Hair Styles
CLOTHING & HAIR STYLES: The early Romans wore a toga. It looked like a white sheet and it was 9 yards long. Togas were arranged very carefully, in a stylish way. Togas fell out of style rather early. People felt the cold when they wore it. To get anyone to wear them,emperors had to legislate the wearing of togas by at least senators. Eventually, the emperors gave up. The Romans switched to comfortable tunics that looked like long tee-shirts. Tunics were made of cool linen, for summer wear, and warm wool, for winter wear.
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