What role did superstitions and omens play in Roman religious thought and practices? Why was this so?

... Rosemari Baker 11K GCSE EXAMINATION 2002 What role did superstitions and omens play in Roman religious thought and practices? Why was this so? From a modern viewpoint, the Romans seemed to have been extremely superstitious. Today's major religions all discourage superstitions so they are not widely practised. Also, our sciences and technological advances mean that there is little room left for superstitions. But the Romans lived in an era previous to ours. Their world was full of unexplained phenomena, such as thunderstorms for example. The Romans believed that superstitions were a perfectly natural part in the relationship between the gods and man. The belief that objects and living beings possessed spiritual properties was widespread in primitive societies and the Romans were no exception. 'Numina' was the Latin name given to spirits that lived in trees, rivers, mountains, animals and even furniture. Stones in particular were believed to contain these spirits, particularly if they were

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