The earliest Romans saw their gods as spirits or powerful forces of nature. These gods did not have personalities or emotions or act in any other way like human beings.
However, as Rome began to build an empire, the Romans were exposed to new ideas. Through contact with the Greeks, the Romans’ idea of gods and goddesses changed.
The Greeks believed in gods and goddesses who behaved very much like human beings. Their gods could be jealous, angry, passionate, kind, foolish, or petty. The Romans borrowed this idea from the Greeks. They even borrowed some of the Greek gods and goddesses. No longer were the Roman gods spirits or forces of nature . They were now divine and human at the same time.
