I. Principal gods
A. 12 Olympians
Jupiter (= Jove): king of gods
Juno: Jupiter’s wife, presides over affairs of matrons
Minerva: goddess of wisdom, crafts, war
Mars: god of war
Apollo: god of archery, poetry, sometimes sun
Diana: goddess of the hunt, childbirth, the moon
Mercury: messenger god, god of commerce, thieves
Ceres: goddess of grain
Bacchus (= Liber): god of wine
Vulcan: blacksmith god
Neptune: god of the sea
Venus: goddess of love
II. Major religious officials
A. pontifices: under leadership of pontifex maximus, these priests
supervised all religious matters
B. flamines: priests dedicated to specific gods (e.g., flamines martiales
serve Mars)
C. augurs: observe bird signs to see if conditions are propitious for such
events as assemblies and the entering into office of new magistrates
D. fetiales: perform rituals surrounding the declaration of war
E. Vestal virgins: keep the sacred fire of Vesta
F. haruspices: examine the entrails of animals to see if conditions are
propitious for such events as assemblies and the entering into office of new magistrates;
these seers, unlike the augurs, do not have official religious authority
G. quindecimviri sacris faciundis: keep the Sibylline books, and consult them in
response to prodigies
