Chapter Two. Roman Army Religion

Abstract

The religion of the Roman army was essentially a continuation and adaptation of the traditional beliefs and practices adopted over time by the Roman state. Traditional Roman religion largely reflected the needs and concerns of an agricultural society and many of the holidays observed on the religious calendar corresponded to important milestones in the annual agrarian cycle. The practice of fusing one god to another, syncretism or the interpretatio Romana, was widespread throughout the Roman world and is evidenced by the many surviving dedications left by soldiers in which the name of a local god is grafted onto that of a traditional Roman deity. The cult of the standards was the primary cult used to instill loyalty to the unit, the state and the ruling dynasty. The cult of Mithras has many proponents among those scholars looking for possible alternatives to Christianity.Keywords: Christianity; cult of Mithras; cult of the standards; religion of the Roman army; Roman state