Probably one of the more popular topics of the ancient world is their belief in other gods and goddesses. With the exception of the Hebrews, the ancient world was pantheistic, meaning that they had many gods and goddesses.
Most of these gods had a story of how they came into existence, interacted with humans, and how ruled. They often had a specific power or dominion that they oversaw, like The sun, water, earth, sexuality, war, and many others.
In this section, I am going to cover the gods and goddesses of three different empires:
- Ancient Egypt: One of the earliest empires of the world. Ancient Egypt thrived on the Nile River for hundreds of years and dominated Northern Africa. Their ancient pyramids have become one of the remaining wonders of the ancient world.
- Ancient Greece: An empire that burst onto the scene and disappeared as quickly as it appeared. The Ancient World set the stage for the Roman Empire. The Greek language, literature, and culture spread throughout the Ancient World and continue to exist today.
- Ancient Rome: Arguably the greatest empire in the history of the world. It existed for 1,000 years and conquered all of Greece and most of Egypt.
Each of these empires influenced the ancient world at various points in its history and had its own gods and goddesses. These gods and goddesses often had similar functions and were used to explain things that could not be completely understood.
Another function of these gods and goddesses was to teach future generations practical wisdom. The Greeks based much of their society on human reason, while the Romans were practical people who built empires, and their gods, although similar, often showed that distinct contrast.
Gods and Goddesses: Table of Contents
It would be too difficult for me to include every single culture and its gods on this website. Perhaps down the line, I will address a few of the other cultures, but for now, I am going to stick with the three predominant empires of the ancient world. Click the following links to explore your desired empire and its gods.