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Religion Has Always Been An Important Part In The Lives

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Religion has always been an important part in the lives of human beings, and it was not different for the population of Pompeii. In this essay, based on the evidence available, we are going to see what place did the religion occupied in the lives of the people who lived in Pompeii, reaching the conclusion that since the origin of the city, the people were surrounded by religion, in both public and private spaces. Whether it was in the shape of a Lararium or temples, the population of Pompeii could express their devotion in different forms and places. Since the 6th century BC until the destruction of the town in in 2nd century AD, the religions that were present in Pompeii changed, and towards the last century and a half of its existence,…show more content…
The Lares are the guardian spirits of the house, and they are usually depicted as young men wearing short tunics and holding an object which would have been most likely a rhyton, a situla or a patera . The family would give offerings to the Lares, and even sometimes sacrifice a pig. Next to the Lares there would be a Genus, who would be a representation of the master of the house, and the toga would be covering his face. Sometimes, the Penates would be represented as well, who were the protectors of the food provisions of the house. Finally, there could be pictures of snakes, which represent the renewal of life and function as guardians. The fact which I find the most interesting about the parts of the Lararium is how the master of the house is represented between the other figures as other character. I believe this is a perfect reflection of how important was for them the private religion, even so they would personalise the Lararium with a figure of themselves. It was a way of making the domestic religion unique and for them to be a part of it. Another fact that points out how much the people cared about private religion is how carefully some of the Lararium were restored after the earthquake in 62 AD . If we go to the literary primary sources we also find evidence of how important this domestic religion was. Cicero says in De Domo Sua “What is there more holy, what is there more carefully fenced
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