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Apollo is one of the most important gods in the Roman pantheon, as he covered a lot of bases, such as truth, prophecy, dance, and music.

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The god of winemaking, festivity, and fertility, Bacchus also represented insanity. Basically, it seemed to be all about partying when it came to Bacchus.

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Her role was so important that Romans believed that when she was unhappy, all crops would die. They believed that the cycle of seasons coincided with her moods, and the coldest months were when she was the saddest.

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One of the most important deities, Diana was the goddess of hunting, as well as of nature, birth, and the moon. Daughter of Jupiter and twin of Apollo, she was also the goddess of lower classes and slaves.

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Sister of Jupiter, Ceres was the goddess of agriculture, harvest, and fertility, as well as marriage and women.

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Janus was the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, and endings. He’s usually depicted with two faces, one facing the past and the other facing the future.

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According to legend, Diana was the one who brought out the moon every night, and the moon's size would depend on her mood. The smaller the moon, the moodier Diana was.

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The father of the gods, Jupiter was the god of the sky and thunder. In fact, his Latin name, luppiter, means "sky father." He was known for using his thunderbolts as a weapon.

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Queen of the Roman gods and goddesses, Juno was the wife and sister of Jupiter and mother to Mars. She was the goddess of marriage and childbirth.

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The ancient Romans believed that it was Jupiter who had made them a great people, as they had honored him more than any other civilization. For this reason, he was the patron god of Rome.

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Famously known as the Roman god of war, Mars was also guardian of agriculture and the embodiment of virility and aggression.

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Mars was the lover of Venus, and together their partnership represented love and war. He was also the father of Romulus, founder of Rome, and Remus.

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Minerva was born of the head of Jupiter after he swallowed her mother Metis, having been told that the child he had impregnated her with could be more powerful than he was. Metis created commotion by making armor and weapons for her daughter inside of Jupiter, and the god demanded that his head be split open to let them out.

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Mercury was the god of profit, trade, eloquence, communication, travel, trickery, and thieves. And on top of that, he also guided souls to the underworld.

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Neptune is typically depicted as an older man with a trident, often being pulled across the sea in a horse-drawn chariot.

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Brother of Jupiter, Pluto, Ceres, and Juno, Neptune was the Roman god of freshwater and the sea, along with earthquakes, hurricanes, and horses.

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The god and personification of sleep, Somnus resided in the underworld. He was the brother of Death, and the father of the Somnia, which were shapes that appeared in peoples' dreams.

Sources: (National Geographic) (History Hit)

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Possibly the best known of all the Roman deities, Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. She had two main lovers: Vulcan, her husband, and Mars.

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The goddess of hearth, home, and domestic life, Vesta was daughter to Saturn and Ops, and sister to Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Ceres, and Pluto.

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The cult of the Vestal Virgins, who guarded the perpetually burning flame protecting the city of Rome, was entirely dedicated to her. It was believed that if the flame went out, she'd get terribly angry and Rome would be left without protection.

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The Roman god of fire, volcanoes, metal work, and the forge, Vulcan made the weapons of the gods. Married to Venus, it was believed that Vulcan had a forge under Mount Etna, and whenever she was unfaithful the volcano would erupt.

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Described as a god of time, generation, dissolution, abundance, and wealth, Saturn's mythological reign was depicted as a golden age of abundance and peace in Rome.

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The daughter of Cupid and Psyche, Voluptas was the goddess of sensual pleasure. In fact, her name means "pleasure" and "bliss" in Latin.

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Father of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Ceres, Vesta, and Juno, Saturn was known for having eaten five out of his six children. Luckily, Jupiter managed to save them all in some way.

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Due to his lifestyle, the Romans even called him Liber, meaning freedom. Bacchus was also known as a patron god of the plebeians, or regular people of the Roman Empire.

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Perhaps most importantly, he's the god of sun and light. Also, Apollo was one of only a few Roman gods who kept the same name as his Greek counterpart.

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Even if her central role was as the goddess of marriage, she also represented vitality, eternal youth, fertility, and was considered the protector of the community.

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Also the goddess of victory and prostitution, it was believed that Venus was born from the foam of the sea after Saturn castrated Uranus and his blood fell to the sea.

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Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, arts, trade, and strategy. She's often depicted by an owl, which signifies wisdom and knowledge. At other times, she appears in art with an olive tree and a snake.

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Influenced by the ancient Greeks, the Roman Empire was a primarily polytheistic civilization, meaning the people recognized and worshiped deities. Despite the presence of monotheistic religions within the Empire, such as Judaism and early Christianity, Romans strongly honored multiple gods and goddesses that they believed helped shape the events of people’s lives on a daily basis.

And just who were these deities? Want to find out who the most influential Roman gods and goddesses were? Then click through this gallery.