Paganism of Ancient Rome 🇮🇹

In this video I look at some pagan temples and statues and mosaics of pagan gods to get an idea of what pagan practice was actually like in Ancient Rome. I visit the Pantheon in Rome and several temples in the Roman town of Herculaneum. The video ends with a visit to the Mithraeum beneath The Basilica of Saint Clement.

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Music:
Kevin MacLeod - Lord of the Land
Cefin Beorn- Se Angelƿer and þæt Seaxeƿīf
Aethelruna - Outro

[Steiner]

As an active practitioner of the cultus deorum(How the worship of the roman gods was called) myself let me express my gratitude for introducing your audience to the roman religion. The roman religion is unbelievable complex and from all the remaining scriptures that have survived monotheist persecution there is still so much to learn from it. The most interesting concept of it is the "Do ut des" (I give so that you may give) which can be described not as bribing as some might suggest but as handing presents to the gods in many forms reaching from incensce, candles, bread, flowers, wine to blood sacrifice to acknowledge and honor their deeds and presence and therefore to keep the pax deorum(Peace between us mortals and the gods) in balance and healthy. May be Minerva, dea sapientia guide you on your quest to make the pagan cults known again. May mighty Jove optimus maximus protect you from all evil.

[ASMRconKiki]

I live in Rome and the Pantheon is one of the favourite places. Once a year they throw rose petals from the top. Foro Romano is another one of my favourite places. I was born here and there are still endless places I need to discover. Amazing video! Grazie!

[TheAmbientWarrior]

We really need to start building our cities like this again. References to and depictions of the gods everywhere- stunningly crafted expressions of the metaphysical and emotional aspects of life, depicted in such a life-like manner that you can feel the expressions themselves coming from the mere marble and feel the life and culture of the city even by staring its ruins 2000 years later.

[hermanPla]

In any sane society this guy would get his own TV show.

[weltgeist]

Take a shot every time Survive the Jive says, Corded Ware Culture, Mithraic Cult, or Indo European.

[sonofzeus-ygyz]

As a hellenic pagan, knowing you are a norse pagan and seeing you leave a flower to the Roman gods, was very respectful and honorable of you.

[TheGoldenOne]

Oceanus looking aesthetic af tbh, fam.

[zoobee]

a historian I know who visited the ancient Hindu city of Varanasi said when there that he realised that this is what Europe (especially the Mediterranean) would be like today if Christianity had not happened and her Indo-European polytheism prevailed in terms of the sacredness of Gods and tradition and timeless ritual saturating a civilisation and its consciousness

[CassandraPantaristi]

As a Roman/Proto-Indo-European polytheist, I approve this video! Keep up the good work. :)

[WorldWar]

Seeing the Pantheon with all of the Gods missing breaks my heart.
The Christians really knew how to destroy a continent, didn't they?

[ennevudoppioo]

"Why, Simpson asks, cannot Aristotle be our Moses, Homer or some of
the Icelandic sagas our Exodus and Judges? Why cannot Dante or
Goethe take the place of Job? Why cannot Blake supplant the Revelation
of St. John and Shakespeare replace Ecclesiastes? And why cannot the
Psalms be superseded by the record of some ones of us, in the past or
now or yet to come, whose lives and teachings are most inspiring to our
collective soul?"

William Gayley Simpson on Paganism. Taken from "The fame of a Dead Man's Deeds"

[THEGIOTIS]

Lets not forget, as Horace said: “Captive Greece, held captive her uncouth conqueror and brought the arts to the rustic Latin lands”.

[roger-shinjirabbit]

I'm really really proud of my greek and Roman heritage 💜 thanks to honour my tradition!

[Kriosaivak]

I wish that the Pantheon could be restored to its original state, with all the statues and art. Unfortunately, I doubt that it will ever be done, given that it’s in the city that is now the center of Christianity. Even just for museum purposes, it would be amazing.

[ellieanne]

Thank you so so much for this video!! Just yesterday I was beginning to question my own European heritage and it's theology (I am part Italian). I have also started looking into Roman paganism last night and was thrilled to see you post this coincidentally the day after my intellectual endeavors.
Keep up the amazing work, love all your content :)

[claudiodidomenico]

The feeling of entering the Pantheon is undescribable. It's breathtaking. Do you plan on visiting more than just Rome/Herculaneum? There's plenty of stories and legends for you to tell in this peninsula.

[parisan]

Can you do a video about Pagan religions of Spanish and Portuguese before conversion to Christianity during the Roman Empire?

[aethyr]

I'll visit Rome next year as well. I'm really looking forward now to see all the pagan remains of the city.

[tyr_jm]

When I visited Italy, I went to Herculaneum too! Around the city there were many various altars and talisman to do with their God of the sea - Neptune. Especially the water well which has Neptune's head above, I don't know if you mentioned it in the video.

[JeremyBass]

I was waiting for a video on my people. Thanks!