396 Roman poetry influx of new territories and foreigners visiting the city, Rome experienced the largest cultural diffusion of the time Consequently, Rome became religiously diverse Divinities such as Minerva, Venus, Diana, Hercules, and Mithras, along with other lesser deities, were added to the Roman pantheon Cults appeared in Rome that worshipped deities from as far away as Egypt The worship of Isis, for example, became popular in Rome The Roman practice of accepting the gods of its conquered peoples allowed for greater control in the territories It also gave Rome a comprehensive mythology, most of which was borrowed or adapted to fit earlier deities Though the Romans did not provide a well-defined mythology for their gods or for the creation of the world, they did create an elaborate mythology for the founding of Rome Early myths concerning Rome’s founding were created with bits of historical fact mixed with mythical retellings Tales of Rome’s first kings were almost completely mythical in nature Most of Roman myth concerns the first seven kings to rule Rome The earliest myth about the founding of Rome was based on Rome’s first king, Romulus According to the myth, Rhea Silvia the only daughter of Numitor, the king of Alba Longa, was destined to become a vestal virgin Instead, she was raped by the god Mars She bore twins, Romulus and Remus, who were cast into the Tiber River To ensure that his sons would survive, Mars sent a she-wolf to care for the twins Eventually, a shepherd named Faustulus discovered Romulus and Remus, and he raised them as shepherds The twins eventually set out to found their own city A dispute arose between them, and Romulus murdered Remus Romulus ruled Rome, and the city flourished However, the city lacked enough women Romulus solved the problem by kidnapping some Sabine women The kidnapped women saved the city from war by claiming they were happier with their newfound husbands After a reign of 40 years Romulus ascended to the heavens to become the war god Quirinus Borrowing from the Greeks, later renditions of the Romulus and Remus myth trace the lineage of Romulus and Remus back to the surviving prince of Troy, Aeneas The original Roman pantheon and myth is often obscured by the later Greco-Roman mythology Romans were deeply religious but being a practical people lacked the imagination to create a myriad of personalities to compliment their deities As Rome came into contact with other cultures, their mythology was enhanced The Romans adopted the heroes and deities of others, borrowing the elaborate myths and humanlike personalities that accompanied them MAJOR ROMAN DEITIES Apollo Bacchus Ceres Cupid (Amor) Diana Fortuna Janus Juno Jupiter Maia Mars Mercury Minerva Neptune Pluto Proserpine Quirinus Saturn Uranus Venus Vesta Vulcan God of the sun and music God of wine and intoxication Mother Goddess, earth God of love Moon goddess, protector of animals and virginity Goddess of luck and good fortune God of gates, doorways, and new beginnings Queen of gods, protector of women and childbirth King of gods, lightning, storms, protector of military pursuits and oaths Goddess of earth, plains, and growth God of war, fertility, spring, and farming God of wind, messenger of the gods Goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts, and war God of watering and the sea King of the underworld Queen of the underworld God of defense, war, and the state God of agriculture, sowing of the seed God of the heavens Goddess of sexual love and beauty Goddess of hearth and ceremonial fire God of fire and forges See also Greek mythology and pantheon; Roman historians; Roman poetry; Rome: founding Further reading: Cotterell, Arthur, and Rachel Storm The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology London: Lorenz Books, 1999; Hamilton, Edith Mythology Boston: Little, Brown, 1998; Jordan, Michael Encyclopedia of Gods New York: Facts On File, 1993 Mark Aaron Bond Roman poetry The Greeks had a strong belief in the importance of poetry, and the Romans continued this with a large number of poets, some of whom wrote short poems and others, like Virgil, composed massive epics such as the Aeneid Other famous Roman poets include Lucretius, Catullus, Horace, Ovid, Martial, and Juvenal