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Essay on Greek & Roman Gods
Gods of the Roman pantheon were often associated with Greek equivalents and can be identified by their dress (or lack, nude figures are usually gods) or by the items ('attributes') that accompany them. Our list is not complete but will provide a reference to the common deities. Some of these examples are taken from Greek Imperial coins; indeed some of the deities are available only on Greek local issues. A few gods were represented in several very different manners.
The overloading of the Greek gods with many responsibilities resulted from the blending into a single figure of several deities belonging to separate local areas. Fertility goddesses yielded easily to this process. They survived in Demeter. Athena became the single goddess of all Greek cities, displacing the local goddesses. As the armed maiden of "civilized" warfare, however, she could never assimilate the Thracian barbarian, Ares, god of berserk battle. Many of the moral difficulties which troubled the Greek deities in later days, came to them through these alliances with older, earthy divinities of nature.
After the sixth century the old gods lost caste with the intellectuals. Pindar did them a good turn by suppressing all the stories of their disreputable deeds. He pictured them as altogether wise, just and good. Above them all towered Zeus, perfect embodiment of justice and the moral order. By the necessities of their art the great dramatists represented the gods in human form, but beyond them, greater and more powerful than they, was the godhead, like a cosmic order, fate or inexorable destiny. For this ultimate power, Zeus seemed to be the best name.
Though, the collapse of the Greek states the ancient deities, dependent upon the public cult, approached the close of their careers in the homeland. Some of them had already found a foothold in Italy and were able to prolong their days in association with the gods of Rome......
