About This Quiz
The Romans may have borrowed heavily from the Greeks, but you might be surprised to learn how they forged a mythological history all their own. Intrigued? Take our quiz to learn more!The Romans celebrated Venus — known to the Greeks as Aphrodite — as the goddess of love and beauty.
The arrow-slinging Cupid was described at times as either the companion or son of Venus.
Priapus, the son of Venus, was a Roman god of fertility and procreation. While he was often overlooked by the Greeks, he was very popular with the Romans.
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The Romans kept the Greek name Apollo when naming their god of light. The use of laurel crowns at the Olympics hails back to a failed relationship between Apollo and a nymph named Daphne.
When Rome became the dominant power around 100 B.C.E., Greek god of war Ares was given the moniker Mars.
Mars and Venus were blessed with two children, Phobos and Deimos — or panic and fear.
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Apollo's twin sister was Diana, the virgin goddess and goddess of the hunt.
Minerva was the patron of Athens and the goddess of war. She was important to the military-minded Romans, while Mars appealed more to the battle-minded Greeks.
Known to the Greeks as Demeter, Ceres was the goddess of crops and mother to the famous Persephone.
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Greek myth transformed him into a goat, but Bacchus was still celebrated by the Romans as the god of wine and male life force.
Pluto was the Roman ruler of the underworld.
Vulcan was the god of fire and blacksmithing. He was also the son of Juno and a well-known prankster.
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The Greeks called her Hera, and the Romans called her Juno, but both revered her as the queen of the gods.
Mercury used wings on his helmet and feet to travel rapidly as he delivered messages for the gods.
God of the sea and earthquakes Neptune was rarely seen without his trusty trident.
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The Romans rechristened king of gods Zeus as Jupiter. He was also the god of thunder and weather.
Janus watched over doors and gates — entrances, or beginnings. His name later served as the basis for the first month of the year.
Mars gave birth to twin sons, who later went on to found the great city of Rome.
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Mars' twin sons Remus and Remulus fought bitterly. After killing his brother, Romulus built Rome in 753 B.C.E.
To bring more women to the male-oriented city, the Romans captured the Sabine women and forced them to move to Rome.
Romulus was the first Roman king, ruling for 40 years before disappearing in a thundercloud.
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Virgil drafted "The Aeneid," which was inspired — or just straight-up copied from — "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey."
The rowdy Bacchanalia, which celebrated god of wine Bacchus, was nearly banned in 186 B.C.E. by the government.
Saturnalia celebrated the winter solstice as well as Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture.
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Taking advantage of the existing Roman holiday of Saturnalia, Pope Julius I declared that December 25th was also the date that Jesus was born.
The Greeks and Romans shared a common heritage, but the earliest Romans had their own gods that were independent of those of the Greeks.
Pre-Greek influence, the original three Roman Gods were Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus, a god of agriculture.
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Neptune is as celebrated for giving the first horses to man as he is for his connections to the sea.
While Apollo was the god of the underworld, he was not death. The Greeks called "Death" Thanatos, while the Romans called him Orus.
Diana, whom the Greeks called Artemis, rose to life from sea foam to become the goddess wife of Vulcan.
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