18).

In fact, while it incorporated Greek mythology, ancient Rome had a very permissive attitude towards other forms of religion. Even when the state attempted to restrict various religious practices, the atmosphere still provided a very fertile ground for early cult worship. "The beliefs espoused by many of these cults- moral conduct on earth and eternal life after death- made the inroads of the cult of Christianity possible" (What life was like 1997, p.131). What this demonstrates is that the Roman religious pantheon, because it took from a number of different religious backgrounds, exhibited a tremendous flexibility that revealed Greek roots but did not limit itself to the Greek religious tradition.

References

Campbell, J & Moyers, B 1988, the power of myth, Doubleday, New York.

Cavendish, R (ed.) 1980, an illustrated encyclopedia of mythology, Crescent Books, New York.

Jones, P & Pennick, N 1997, a history of pagan Europe, Routledge,...
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