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Paper Two: Greece VS Rome

Both Greece and Rome were ancient Mediterranean countries, and Rome copied

much of the Greek culture, but Rome and Greece were very different. From the art and

culture, to the politics, to the fascinating mythology and philosophy, Greece and Rome

had their own styles. Diving deep into one category, mythology, we see many similarities

but as well as an immense difference in the two cultures and what they believe in. Both

societies have faith in their higher powers, the gods. Many are familiar with the Greek

gods Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hades, and etc. but we tend to forget about the Roman

gods who are extremely similar because many of the Roman gods were borrowed from

Greek mythology, just named differently; Jupiter, Neptune, Venus, and Pluto are just a

few. Gods in Greek mythology were the collection of stories or myths of the ancient

Greeks about their gods, heroes and the natural world. They came from the Iliad written

by Homer. Gods in Roman mythology were the mythological beliefs about gods in the

city of Ancient Rome. They came years after the Greeks. “The Greek Gods and

goddesses were based on human personality traits such as Love, Honor, Hatred, Dignity,

as well as their roles in life determined by what they were god of” whereas the Roman

gods were “Deities named after objects rather than human personality traits” (Diffen

Contributors). The Greek God Zeus and the Roman God Jupiter are the leaders of their

differing Kingdoms. Focusing in on them we can find a multitude of similarities as well

as differences and why this is.

“Zeus, the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, he was the supreme ruler of Mount

Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there. Being the supreme ruler he

upheld law, justice and morals, and this made him the spiritual leader of both gods and
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men. Zeus was a celestial god, and originally worshiped as a weather god by the Greek

tribes” (Mythica). Zeus was always seen as the weather god, having his main attribute as

the thunderbolt, he controlled thunder, lightning, and rain. “The name Zeus is related to

the Greek word dios, meaning "bright". His other attributes as well as lightning were the

scepter, the eagle and his aegis (this was the goat-skin of Amaltheia)” (Mythica). Zeus

was known as the Protector. He became the Chief Judge as well as the Peacemaker and

most importantly he was the Civic God. In the Mythica article it explains how he brought

peace in a time of violence. Zeus was given many names, some meaning Savior, Orderer,

Overseer of the Polis, and Guarantor of Political Freedoms. These names explain only the

tiny bit of power this god withheld. Zeus possessed a power that many of the gods and

people either worshiped him for, or envied him for. He oversaw the conduct of civilized

life and has many mythological tales. One of the most famous tales, conveyed by Hesiod

in his Theogony, told the tale of “How Zeus usurped the kingdom of the immortals from

his father. This mythological tale of Zeus' struggle against the Titans had been caused by

Cronus, after he had been warned that one of his children would depose him. Cronus

knowing the consequences, as he had overthrown his father Uranus. To prevent this from

happening Cronus swallowed his newborn children Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and

Poseidon, but his wife Rhea (who was also his sister) and Gaia her mother, wrapped a

stone in swaddling clothes in place of the infant Zeus. Cronus thinking it was the

newborn baby swallowed the stone. Meanwhile Rhea had her baby taken to Crete, and

there, in a cave on Mount Dicte, the divine goat Amaltheia suckled and raised the infant

Zeus. When Zeus had grown into a young man he returned to his father’s domain, and

with the help of Gaia, compelled Cronus to regurgitate the five children he had
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previously swallowed (in some versions Zeus received help from Metis who gave Cronus

an emetic potion, which made him vomit up Zeus' brothers and sisters). However, Zeus

led the revolt against his father and the dynasty of the Titans, defeated and then banished

them. Once Zeus had control, he and his brothers divided the universe between them:

Zeus gaining the heavens, Poseidon the sea and Hades the underworld. Zeus had to

defend his heavenly kingdom. The three separate assaults were from the offspring of

Gaia: they were the Gigantes, Typhon (Zeus fought them with his thunder-bolt and aegis)

and the twin brothers who were called the Aloadae. The latter tried to gain access to the

heavens by stacking Mount Ossa on top of Mount Olympus, and Mount Pelion on top of

Mount Ossa, but the twins still failed in their attempt to overthrow Zeus. As he did with

the Titans, Zeus banished them all to "Tartarus", which is the lowest region on earth,

lower than the underworld” (Mythica). With this story we can understand the level of

power and high standard Zeus is seen to obtain. To go from having everything taken from

him to possessing everything, we see his determination, strength, and loyalty. With this

story we can also see a bit of irony. Normally father and son in a religious aspect are seen

to be either one with each other (Christianity) or at least on good terms with a solid

relationship. It’s interesting to look at Greek mythology and see that not only is the

relationship between Zeus and his father destroyed, we see him take the kingdom from

him. This is not an action you would normally assume from a god because gods are holy

and just but that’s what makes Greek Mythology so interesting and different from other

forms of beliefs. “Zeus had many Temples and festivals in his honor, the most famous of

his sanctuaries being Olympia, the magnificent "Temple of Zeus", which held the gold

and ivory statue of the enthroned Zeus, sculpted by Phidias and hailed as one of the
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"Seven Wonders of the Ancient World". Also the Olympic Games were held in his honor.

The Nemean Games, which were held every two years, were to honor Zeus. There were

numerous festivals throughout Greece: in Athens they celebrated the marriage of Zeus

and Hera with the Theogamia (or Gamelia). The celebrations were many: in all, Zeus had

more than 150 epithets, each one being celebrated in his honor” (Mythica).

As we venture away from Greece, we enter the Roman world and take a look at

Jupiter, Zeus’s counterpart. There is not much of a difference between these two gods.

Both are considered the ultimate gods as well as both being the gods of the sky. “Jupiter

is the supreme god of the Roman pantheon, called dies pater, "shining father". He is a god

of light and sky, and protector of the state and its laws. He is a son of Saturn and brother

of Neptune and Juno (who is also his wife). The Romans worshipped him especially as

Jupiter Optimus Maximus (all-good, all-powerful). This name refers not only to his

rulership over the universe, but also to his function as the god of the state who distributes

laws, controls the realm and makes his will known through oracles” (Mythica). We can

see from this description that there is not much of a difference in how the Romans view

Jupiter to how the Greeks view Zeus. This is mainly due to the fact that the Romans stole

most of their ideas from the Greeks to begin with. Zeus has more depth because of all the

stories whereas Jupiter is considered to be more of a significant god, with many people

confiding in him because he is all. “He had a temple on the Capitol, together with Juno

and Minerva, but he was the most prominent of this Capitoline triad. His temple was not

only the most important sanctuary in Rome; it was also the center of political life. Here

official offerings were made, treaties were signed and wars were declared, and the

triumphant generals of the Roman army came here to give their thanks” (Mythica).
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Jupiter was given names like heavenly, of the light, thunder, and of the lightning. Like

Zeus, his attribute is the lightning bolt and the eagle is both his symbol and messenger.

Jupiter and Zeus are nearly identical.

Historians will proceed to find the similarities and differences between these two

dominating nations. There is always more to uncover when it comes to politics, religion,

and culture. Time will continue to unveil many truths about Rome and Greece, the gods

were only the beginning.