A Study On The Development Of Traditional Religion In The Early Roman Empire

The traditional religion of Rome is polytheism,which is a kind of religious belief with the basic characteristics of nature worship and ancestor worship.The origin of the traditional Roman religion is relatively complex.It is a religious belief formed after the Indo-European people migrated to the Apennines Peninsula and blended with the local aborigines culture around the 20 th century BC.In the history of world religion research,Roman traditional religion is often regarded as a post-scholar of Greek religious culture.We cannot deny the influence and value of the Greek and eastern world on the traditional Religion of Rome.However,in the context of national development,Roman traditional religion showed a strong ability of adaptation and transformation in the face of the rapid expansion of the Republic period and the need to consolidate the rule of the empire.The tolerant characteristics of polytheism unified different religious beliefs into the Religious system of Rome,which became an important link between different nationalities and dispelled the antagonism of the people in the conquered areas.With the help of the general belief and religious psychology of the society and the religious obligations of the people,the imperial head of state constructed the personality cult for the head of state and incorporated the traditional religion into the political ruling framework.The subject of this thesis is the development of traditional religion in the early Roman Empire.The time range is from 27 BC when Octavian was granted the title of "Augustus" to393 AD when Theodosius I confirmed Christianity as the state religion.During this period,the Roman Empire underwent tremendous changes in all aspects.The change of national political system and the shock of crisis in the third century made religious belief show an unprecedented trend of collision and fusion.In this process,traditional polytheism was influenced by the worship of the head of state and eastern religions led by Christianity,and gradually lost its dominant position in the state and individual beliefs.From the Angle of polytheism,the author analyzes the decline trend and causes of polytheism in combination with political factors,social background and religious development basis.This is helpful to detail the development of the religious transition,and to clarify the transition process of religious belief from polytheism to monotheism in the early Roman Empire.