Medieval Art

The time period in which the Renaissance art was created was during the Renaissance period. The Renaissance art is distinctive in many ways. The Renaissance was the revival of the learning and cultural awareness that occurred in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. They occurred mainly in Italy, but also took place in Germany and other European countries. This time period was focused on the revival of the ancient Greek and Roman art, which included a focus on science, philosophy, human beings, and their environment. book source

The Renaissance was, fundamentally, a renewal or rebirth of cultural responsiveness and learning that took place during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It followed the middle ages, and was essentially a time of the revival of learning after the Middle Ages.

A third popular method of approaching art was known as the romanesque period, which lasted from 1000 to the start of Gothic art in the twelfth century. It originally developed as a result of monasticism in Western Europe, having its start in France. It eventually spread to Christian England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Flanders, becoming the first medieval style to be widely spread throughout Europe. It was mainly expressed through figurative sculptures that were colorfully painted, which provided an important component to large churches. They were commonly placed in the capitals of the columns that surrounded the magnificent churches, as well as around remarkable portals, that were centered above doors. They best representation of these are found at the Vezelay Abbey and the Autun Cathedral, which express how important this style of art was in creating these buildings.


One of the greatest artists during the Renaissance was Leonardo Da Vinci. He was a supreme example of a Renaissance genius who possessed one of the greatest minds of all times. He drew the first relaxed portraits with misty landscapes in the backgrounds. He was able to potray the misty backgrounds using warm and passionate colors. He was famous for the way he used light in his portaits.

Most of the main types of art that impacted the world then, and does today as well are:

Illuminated Manuscripts (highly decorated book pages)
Metalwork
Jewelry
Painting
Fresco (painting in wet plaster on a ceiling or wall)
Panel Painting
Embroidery/tapestries
Ceramic art (such as pottery)
Mosaic
Engraving
Sculptures
Stained glass art

Medieval Art

The 4th Crusade

the 4th crusade

The First Crusade

The crusaders in the 1st crusade faced perils such as starvation, exhaustion, deadly disease, and bloodthirsty battles. They face a 3000 kilometer journey to Jerusalem from Constantinople. They showed their will to follow God and their immense brutality against infidels. Even against all of these things, all odds, and from the cost of human suffereing they finally prevailed against the Muslims.Google Book

"The First Crusade played a very important part in Medieval England. The First Crusade was an attempt to re-capture Jerusalem. After the capture of Jerusalem by the Muslims in 1076, any Christian who wanted to pay a pilgrimage to the city faced a very hard time. Muslim soldiers made life very difficult for the Christians and trying to get to Jerusalem was filled with danger for a Christian. This greatly angered all Christians.
One Christian - called Alexius I of Constantinople - feared that his country might also fall to the Muslims as it was very close to the territory captured by the Muslims. Constantinople is in modern day Turkey. Alexius called on the pope - Urban II - to give him help.

In 1095, Urban spoke to a great crown at Clermont in France. He called for a war against the Muslims so that Jerusalem was regained for the Christian faith. In his speech he said:
"Christians, hasten to help your brothers in the East, for they are being attacked. Arm for the rescue of Jerusalem under your captain Christ. Wear his cross as your badge. If you are killed your sins will be pardoned."

Those who volunteered to go to fight the Muslims cut out red crosses and sewed them on their tunics. The French word "croix" means cross and the word changed to "croisades" or crusades. The fight against the Muslims became a Holy War."

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Obviously the Christians didn't like the idea that the Muslims took over their holy city and could move on to taking other major cities such as Constantinople and Rome. So in reaction to this the Europeans, who used feudalism as means to build up armies, slightly joined together to fight the Muslims.

"The crusader's 1st aim in the 1st crusade was to take over the city of Nicea which wasnt too much trouble. Next they sought after Antioch, which at that time was heavily guarded, and it took the crusaders 7 months to take the city. Finally they went after Jerusalem.

The attack and capture of Jerusalem started in the summer of 1099. Jerusalem was well defended with high walls around it. The first attacks on the city were not successful as the Crusaders were short of materials for building siege machines. Once logs had arrived, two siege machines were built.

A monk called Fulcher was on the First Crusade. He wrote about the attack on the Holy City and he can be treated as an eye-witness as to what took place.

Fulcher claimed that once the Crusaders had managed to get over the walls of Jerusalem, the Muslim defenders there ran away. Fulcher claimed that the Crusaders cut down anybody they could and that the streets of Jerusalem were ankle deep in blood. The rest of the Crusaders got into the city when the gates were opened. The slaughter continued and the Crusaders "killed whoever they wished". Those Muslims who had their lives spared, had to go round and collect the bodies before dumping them outside of the city because they stank so much. The Muslims claimed afterwards that 70,000 people were killed and that the Crusaders took whatever treasure they could from the Dome of the Rock.

The Crusader attack on Jerusalem - in the foreground is a siege castle

After the success of the Crusaders, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was created and its first king was Godfrey of Bouillon who was elected by other crusaders. He died in 1100 and was succeeded by his brother Baldwin of Boulogne.

The capture of Jerusalem did not end the Crusades as the Crusaders wanted to get rid of the Muslims from the whole region and not just Jerusalem. This desire led to the other crusades.

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Before they started their attacks upon the Muslim invaders the crusaders went through perilous times getting to Constantinople. First off they ran out of fresh water, and a historian wrote that they had to drink their own urine, animal blood, or water from the sewage. Also food was scarce, and they had to plunder and pilgrimage cities in order to keepo the soldiers fighting fit.

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"Real armies were gathering in the West. Recruits came in greater numbers from France than from any other country, a circumstance which resulted in the crusaders being generally called "Franks" by their Moslem foes. They had no single commander, but each contingent set out for Constantinople by its own route and at its own time.

The First Crusade - The Siege of Antioch
Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lorraine, and Tancred, "the mirror of knighthood," were among the most noted of the leaders of the different divisions of the army. The expedition numbered about 700,000 men, of whom fully 100,000 were mailed knights. The crusaders traversed Europe by different routes and reassembled at Constantinople. Crossing the Bosphorus, they first captured Nicaea, the Turkish capital, in Bithynia, and then set out across Asia Minor for Syria. Arriving at Antioch, the survivors captured that place, and then, after some delays, pushed on towards Jerusalem. The Siege of Antioch had lasted from October 1097 to June 1098.

The First Crusade - The City of Jerusalem
Reduced now to perhaps one-fourth of their original numbers, the crusaders advanced slowly to the city which formed the goal of all their efforts. When at length the Holy City burst upon their view, a perfect delirium of joy seized the crusaders. They embraced one another with tears of joy, and even embraced and kissed the ground on which they stood. As they passed on, they took off their shoes, and marched with uncovered head and bare feet, singing the words of the prophet: "Jerusalem, lift up thine eyes, and behold the liberator who comes to break thy chains." Before attacking it they marched barefoot in religious procession around the walls, with Peter the Hermit at their head. Then came the grand assault.

The First Crusade - The Capture of Jerusalem
The first assault made by the Christians upon the walls of the city was repulsed; but the second was successful, and the city was in the hands of the crusaders by July 1099. Godfrey of Bouillon and Tancred were among the first to mount the ramparts. Once inside the city, the crusaders massacred their enemies without mercy. A terrible slaughter of the infidels took place. For seven days the carnage went on, at the end of which time scarcely any of the Moslem faith were left alive. The Christians took possession of the houses and property of the infidels, each soldier having a right to that which he had first seized and placed his mark upon.

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The First Crusade

The Effects of Jihad and Just War during the Crusades

"In medieval times, feelings of Jihad lay behind fighting for the defence of Islam in the Mediterranean basin, such as during the Crusades in the Levant and during the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian peninsula. It was also used for the spreading of Islam outside the heartlands, e.g. into sub-Saharan Africa, in the Indian subcontinent, and in Indonesia. Typical manifestations of this last in West Africa were the Fulani Jihad led by Usumanu dan Fodio (d. 1817) in Hausaland and jihads by Umar al-Futi and Samori Ture in other parts of black West Africa in the 19th century, aimed primarily at spreading the faith among local animists. In Muslim India, notable was the movement of the mujahedin or ‘fighters for the faith’ of Sayyid Ahmad Brelwi (killed 1831), primarily against the Sikhs in the Punjab, and other similar movements against the British which continued throughout the century and into the present one, especially along the North-West frontier. In pre-modern times jihad was not invariably directed against the outside, non-Islamic world; at various times, the slogans of jihad were employed in campaigns against heterodox or dissident Muslims, such as the Ismailis, during the Mongol period and just afterwards."

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Jihad Again was used for defense against intruders and those who oppesed the Islamic faith. if you were not of Islamic faith with jihad they were able to attack you to convert you into Islam or in other words Muslim.

"The decline of the Roman Empire gave rise to two problems, which combined to form one of the most perplexing philosophical questions of late antiquity. On the one hand, Rome found itself under constant military threat as various tribes from the north and east encroached along its borders to fill the power vacuum left by the receding Empire. On the other hand, adherents to the Empire’s new official faith — Christianity — found themselves without clear guidance as to what military roles their faith would permit. The death of the apostles had left Christians without ongoing revelatory guidance, and the New Testament writings alone were not definitive on the subject. The question thus became: ‘Can a Christian answer the Empire’s call to military duty and still have a clear conscience before God?’

Fifth-century philosopher St Augustine of Hippo sought to provide an answer to the question. His approach formed the foundation of the ‘just war’ tradition, which has had enormous influence upon moral-philosophical thought on military issues in the West ever since. This major new study identifies Augustine’s fundamental premises, reconstructs his just-war theory, and critically evaluates the reconstructed theory in light of his historical context and neo-Platonic and Christian philosophical considerations."(Google Book)

1)A punitive conception of war.
2)Assessment of the evil of war in terms of the evil moral attitudes and wants.
3)The authorization of the use of violence.
4)A duelistic epistemology which gives spiritual priorities to goods.
5)Interpretation of evangelical norms in terms of inner attitudes.
6)Passive attitude to authority and social change.
7)use of texts within the Bible to the participation of war.
8)An analogical knowledge of what peace is.


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Just War was the theory that Europeans used to defend themselves against invading infidels. Which is just the Christian version of Jihad which enabled them to attack and defend themselves against the Muslims. With this theory of Just War Europeans were able to fight back and invade Islamic countries, and unlike the Muslims they did not use the convert or die phrase until the 4th crusade. Which until the 4th crusade they did not have hardly any success, it was when the Mongols attacked them from one side and the Europeans on the other did they have any effect on the Muslims.

Just War was used in the crusades in order to take back their Christian and Holy Sites that were taken over by the Muslims during other Crusades or even before the 1st crusade. The Jihad theory or the 6th pillar of Islam was the same thing as Just war during the Crusades except that it was the taking over of the Holy Sites and the Christian relics.(Google Book)

"Of all the churches mentioned in the New Testament, only a single one, Rome, escaped Muslim domination.

In addition, piratical raids and campaigns of raiding on land, slave-taking and slaughter took place virtually every summer for a thousand years, both to acquire plunder, and to destabilise and weaken neighbouring Christian lands. No permanent peace with "infidels" was allowed by Islam.

Islam's scriptures, the Koran, make the approach to non-muslims clear:

"Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God’s religion shall reign supreme" (8:39)

"Prophet, rouse the faithful to arms. If there are twenty steadfast men among you, they shall vanquish two hundred; and if there are a hundred, they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of understanding." (8:65)

"Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given ... and do not embrace the true Faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (9:29)

"Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. ... lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way ..." (9:5)

The Koran contains many similar verses.

In fact, most Muslim Scholars see the world as divided into two "houses"—the House of Peace (Dar Al-Salaam) and the House of War (Dar Al-Harb). The lands controlled by Muslims belong to the House of Peace, while those who have not yet submitted to Islam belong to the House of War until they are "utterly subdued."

So the entire context of the eastern Crusades is one of response to continuous Islamic aggression."

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Jihad

"Jihad (Arabic: jihād, ‘striving, exerting oneself’). Some classical Islamic writers distinguished between ‘the greater jihad’, a spiritual struggle against the evil within oneself, and a ‘lesser jihad’, physical effort in the cause of Islam, but it is the latter which is our concern here. It has meant in practice military action for either the spreading of Islam or its defence, following on from the idea of the universality of Islam and the consequent necessity of strenuous and continuous action for the furtherance of the faith. The basis of the doctrine is found in the Koran, and in strict Islamic law jihad is a duty on all adult free male believers until Islam has attained universal domination; hence there can be no permanent peace with unbelievers but only limited truces."

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This idea of Jihad was to spread Islam throughout the world, and this term will be used until the world is controlled by all of Islam. If and Islamic tribe was to be attacked they would use this to defend themselves against the threat and eliminate it so as to continue with their little peace that they had.

"In medieval times, feelings of jihad lay behind fighting for the defence of Islam in the Mediterranean basin, such as during the Crusades in the Levant and during the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian peninsula. It was also used for the spreading of Islam outside the heartlands, e.g. into sub-Saharan Africa, in the Indian subcontinent, and in Indonesia. Typical manifestations of this last in West Africa were the Fulani Jihad led by Usumanu dan Fodio (d. 1817) in Hausaland and jihads by Umar al-Futi and Samori Ture in other parts of black West Africa in the 19th century, aimed primarily at spreading the faith among local animists. In Muslim India, notable was the movement of the mujahedin or ‘fighters for the faith’ of Sayyid Ahmad Brelwi (killed 1831), primarily against the Sikhs in the Punjab, and other similar movements against the British which continued throughout the century and into the present one, especially along the North-West frontier. In pre-modern times jihad was not invariably directed against the outside, non-Islamic world; at various times, the slogans of jihad were employed in campaigns against heterodox or dissident Muslims, such as the Ismailis, during the Mongol period and just afterwards."

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"The word Jihad stems from the Arabic root word J-H-D, which means "strive." Other words derived from this root include "effort," "labor," and "fatigue." Essentially Jihad is an effort to practice religion in the face of oppression and persecution. The effort may come in fighting the evil in your own heart, or in standing up to a dictator. Military effort is included as an option, but as a last resort and not "to spread Islam by the sword" as the stereotype would have one believe.

The Qur'an describes Jihad as a system of checks and balances, as a way that Allah set up to "check one people by means of another." When one person or group transgresses their limits and violates the rights of others, Muslims have the right and the duty to "check" them and bring them back into line. There are several verses of the Qur'an that describe jihad in this manner. One example:

"And did not Allah check one set of people by means of another,
the earth would indeed be full of mischief;
but Allah is full of Bounty to all the worlds"
-Qur'an 2:251

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"Many accounts in the media define "jihad" as a synonym for "holy war," -- a vicious clash between followers of different religions, each of whom believes that God is on their side and that the other side is is of Satan. This usage often appears on Western TV, radio, and other media during news about the Middle East, where it is used to describe a call for Muslims to fight against non-Muslims in the defense of Islam. Some Muslims have begun to adopt this meaning of "jihad" as a result of Western influence."

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"Islam never tolerates unprovoked aggression from its own side; Muslims are commanded in the Qur'an not to begin hostilities, embark on any act of aggression, violate the rights of others, or harm the innocent. Even hurting or destroying animals or trees is forbidden. War is waged only to defend the religious community against oppression and persecution, because the Qur'an says that "persecution is worse than slaughter" and "let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression" (Qur'an 2:190-193). Therefore, if non-Muslims are peaceful or indifferent to Islam, there is no justified reason to declare war on them.

The Qur'an describes those people who are permitted to fight:

"They are those who have been expelled from their homes
in defiance of right, for no cause except that they say,
'Our Lord is Allah.'
Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another,
there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches,
synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of God is commemorated
in abundant measure..."
-Qur'an 22:40

Note that the verse specifically commands the protection of all houses of worship. Finally, the Qur'an also says, "Let there be no compulsion in religion" (2:256). Forcing someone at the point of a sword to choose death or Islam is an idea that is foreign to Islam in spirit and in historical practice. There is absolutely no question of waging a "holy war" to "spread the faith" and compel people to embrace Islam; that would be an unholy war and the people's forced conversions would not be sincere.

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Jihad came to pass when Islam was opposed by all the nations that were around Islam. When a prophet or a Messenger comes from God all of their followers were considered righteous that were likely to advance quickly. Other religious sects around would soon begin to develop anger and jealously towards them. Because of this the teachers' students began to drop from their trap and join the prophets or messengers. because this started to happen they became angry with each other and started fighting. Then the "Pagans" began to attack them and prevent Islam from spreading, and because of this they attacked back in order to defend themselves.

Book^Online

The jihad is still going on today. We believe that there are terrorists all around us that use the Jihad is in action and that why they were able to terrorize the nation of America, and they use the jihad to signify that they can attack us.

Book^Online

in conclusion there is still Jihad going on today that was used during the crusades. Muslims still are trying to dominate the world so that then jihad would no longer be in place.

Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine was a bishop of Hippo during the 5th century. he was the one who influenced the crusades to take place through his various writings, which in fact were very popular with the clerics of the Medieval Time. His views on warfare and Christian ethos were very important in the "Just War" theory.
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"The decline of the Roman Empire gave rise to two problems, which combined to form one of the most perplexing philosophical questions of late antiquity. On the one hand, Rome found itself under constant military threat as various tribes from the north and east encroached along its borders to fill the power vacuum left by the receding Empire. On the other hand, adherents to the Empire’s new official faith — Christianity — found themselves without clear guidance as to what military roles their faith would permit. The death of the apostles had left Christians without ongoing revelatory guidance, and the New Testament writings alone were not definitive on the subject. The question thus became: ‘Can a Christian answer the Empire’s call to military duty and still have a clear conscience before God?’

Fifth-century philosopher St. Augustine of Hippo sought to provide an answer to the question. His approach formed the foundation of the ‘just war’ tradition, which has had enormous influence upon moral-philosophical thought on military issues in the West ever since. This major new study identifies Augustine’s fundamental premises, reconstructs his just-war theory, and critically evaluates the reconstructed theory in light of his historical context and neo-Platonic and Christian philosophical considerations."(Mattox Online Book)

St. Augustine was able to begin to compel the people that, though they didn't know what to do, they were able to fight because of his "Just War" theory. he slowly begins to build the foundation on which most of the western civilizations use today. His legacy still goes on and that is why we study him to know what this theory actually is, and how we use it today, if we use it today.

There were 8 principles that made up his Just War theory:

1)A punitive conception of war.
2)Assessment of the evil of war in terms of the evil moral attitudes and wants.
3)The authorization of the use of violence.
4)A duelistic epistemology which gives spiritual priorities to goods.
5)Interpretation of evangelical norms in terms of inner attitudes.
6)Passive attitude to authority and social change.
7)use of texts within the Bible to the participation of war.
8)An analogical knowledge of what peace is.

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"The Just War Theory is an authoritative Catholic Church teaching confirmed by the United States Catholic Bishops in their pastoral letter, The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response, issued in 1983. More recently, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 2309, lists four strict conditions for "legitimate defense by military force":

* the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
* all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
* there must be serious prospects of success;
* the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

While proponents claim such views have a long tradition, critics claim the application of Just War is only relativistic, and directly contradicts more universal philosophical traditions such as the Ethic of reciprocity.[citation needed] Secular humanists may accept just war theory based on universal ethics without reference to Christian morality.

Just War theorists combine both a moral abhorrence towards war with a readiness to accept that war may sometimes be necessary. The criteria of the just war tradition act as an aid to determining whether resorting to arms is morally permissible. Just War theories are attempts "to distinguish between justifiable and unjustifiable uses of organized armed forces"; they attempt "to conceive of how the use of arms might be restrained, made more humane, and ultimately directed towards the aim of establishing lasting peace and justice."[6]

The Just War tradition addresses the morality of the use of force in two parts: when it is right to resort to armed force (the concern of jus ad bellum) and what is acceptable in using such force (the concern of jus in bello).[7] In more recent years, a third category — jus post bellum — has been added, which governs the justice of war termination and peace agreements, as well as the prosecution of war criminals.

Libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard stated, "a just war exists when a people tries to ward off the threat of coercive domination by another people, or to overthrow an already-existing domination. A war is unjust, on the other hand, when a people try to impose domination on another people, or try to retain an already existing coercive rule over them."[8] Rothbard was an admitted anarchist or "anti-Statist", but left room nevertheless for a "minarchist" stance to allow social contracts to defend the general public from clear and present dangers."

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"Augustine's two greatest surviving works, out of several dozen, are his City of God and his Confessions. His conversion to Christianity is among the most famous, as many are familiar with his quip in which he asked God to make him chaste, but do it later. As the Bishop of Hippo, Augustine also was involved with the Council of Hippo in 393 which, along with the Council of Carthage in 397, first recognized the 27 books of the New Testament that are still recognized as the New Testament today.

His influence on Christian theology continued from the middle ages until the present day. All Medieval monks were likely made aware of Augustine at some point in their career and would have studied his works if they had the opportunity to receive a proper education in theology from the Church."

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His ability to influence and "charm" the monks in the middle ages played such a significant role in making the crusades begin, that if he wasn't there to influence them there probably wouldn't have been any crusades, and the world would be completely different than it is now.

"But, say they, the wise man will wage just wars. As if he would not all the rather lament the necessity of
just wars, if he remembers that he is a man; for if they were not just he would not wage them, and would
therefore be delivered from all wars. For it is the wrongdoing of the opposing party which compels the
wise man to wage just wars; and this wrong-doing, even though it gave rise to no war, would still be
matter of grief to man because it is man's wrong-doing… (Chapter 7)

Whoever gives even moderate attention to human affairs and to our common nature, will recognize that if
there is no man who does not wish to be joyful, neither is there any one who does not wish to have peace.
For even they who make war desire nothing but victory -- desire, that is to say, to attain to peace with
glory. For what else is victory than the conquest of those who resist us? And when this is done there is
peace. It is therefore with the desire for peace that wars are waged, even by those who take pleasure in
exercising their warlike nature in command and battle. And hence it is obvious that peace is the end sought
for by war. (Chapter 12)

For even when we wage a just war, our adversaries must be sinning; and every victory, even though
gained by wicked men, is a result of the first judgment of God, who humbles the vanquished either for the
sake of removing or of punishing their sins. Witness that man of God, Daniel, who, when he was in
captivity, confessed to God his own sins and the sins of his people, and declares with pious grief that these
were the cause of the captivity. (Chapter 15)"(Hippo Chapters 7, 12, and 15)

In the end it is not enough to wage war to achieve justice without treating the underlying causes. "Injustice, excessive economic or social inequalities, envy, distrust, and pride raging among men and nations constantly threaten peace and cause wars. Everything done to overcome these disorders contributes to building up peace and avoiding war" [CCC 2317]. The Church has no illusions that true justice and peace can be attained before the Coming of the Lord. It is the duty of men of good will to work towards it, nonetheless. In the words of the spiritual dictum, we should work as if everything depended upon our efforts, and pray as if everything depended upon God.
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Mattox, John Mark. Saint Augustine and the Theory of Just War New York. 2006. Pp. 196 (online book)

Hippo, Augustine of. “The City of God,” Trans. by Marcus Dodds, D.D. In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series One, Volume 2. Edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. American Edition, 1887.

Compare and Contrast the Greek and Roman gods

The Romans to begin with stole most of the Greek gods and put them into their own society. Mostly all the Romans did was give them different names, some new gods, they took some of them out, and they changed some of the books that had Greek gods in them such as the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Aphrodite (Venus) | goddess of love and beauty
Apollo (Apollo) | god of the arts (esp. poetry and music), archery, and divination
Ares (Mars) | god of war
Artemis (Diana) | goddess of the hunt and protector of children
Athena (Minerva) | goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts; patron of Athens
Demeter (Ceres) | goddess of agriculture and fertility
Dionysos (Bacchus) | god of wine, mysteries, and the theatre
Hephaistos (Vulcan) | god of smiths and metal-workers
Hera (Juno) | goddess of marriage; consort of Zeus
Hermes (Mercury) | god of merchants; messenger of Zeus
Poseidon (Neptune) | god of the sea and earthquakes
Zeus (Jupiter) | god of the sky; ruler of Olympus

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Now that is a basic showing of the Greek and Roman main top dogs in mythology. This next part shows in greater detail the differences between the Greek and Roman gods, both the ones that each worshiped some that only the Greeks worshiped and the Romans excluded in their worship, and those that the Romans put in there for their own wants in their gods. It also shows their names and the way that the Romans changed most of the Greek god's name.

Zeus	Jupiter, Jove	Lord of the Sky, Gods, and Thunder, also Rain-god, Cloud-gatherer
Hera	Juno	Protector of Marriage
Poseidon	Neptune	Ruler of the Sea
Hades, Polydectes	Pluto	God of the Underworld and Precious Metals
	Libitina	Goddess of the Underworld
Pallas Athena	Minerva	Goddess of the City, Education/Science, and War
Phoebus Apollo	Apollo	God of Sun, Truth, Music, Healing
Artemis, Orthia, Phoebe	Diana	Goddess of Wild Things, Hunter-in-Chief
Aphrodite, Anadyomene	Venus	Goddess of Love and Beauty
Hermes, Pyschopompus	Mercury	God of Commerce and Market, Zeus' Messenger
Ares	Mars	God of War
Enyo	Bellona	Lesser Goddess of War
Hephaestus	Vulcan, Mulciber	God of the Forge and Fire, Workman to the immortals
Hestia	Vesta	Goddess of the Hearth and Home; also Fertility(Greek only)
	Priapus	God of Fertility
Eros	Cupid, Amor	God of Love
Hymen		God of the Wedding Feast
Hebe		Goddess of Youth
	Juventus	God of Youth
Iris		Goddess of the Rainbow
Persephone, Kora	Persipina, Libera	Goddess of Spring [Season], Underworld through Hades
Demeter	Ceres	Goddess of the Corn, Earth, Harvest
Dionysus, Lycaeus	Bacchus, Liber	God of the Vine, Wine, Merriment
Pan	Inuus,Faunus	God of Flocks, Sheep
Selene	Luna	Goddess of the Moon
Helios	Sol	God of the Sun
	Terminus	Guardian of Boundaries
	Priapus	Cause of Fertility
	Pales	Strengthener of Cattle
	Sylvanus	Helper of Plowmen and Woodcutters
	Saturn	Protector of the Sowers and the Seed
	Janus	God of good beginnings
Eileithyia, Ilithyia	Lucina	Goddess of Childbirth
	Pomona & Vertumnus	Powers Protecting Orchards and Gardens
Aether		God of Light
Eos	Aurora, Mater Matuta	Goddess of the Dawn
Asklepios	Aesculapius	God of Health and Medicine
Hygea		Goddess of Health
Aeolus		King of the Winds
Boreas	Aquilo	North Wind
Zephyr	Favonius	West Wind
Notus	Auster	South Wind
Eurus	Eurus	East Wind
Pontus		God of the Deep Sea
Nereus		"Old Man of the Sea"
Triton		Trumpeter of the Sea
Ate		Goddess of Mischief
Eris	Discordia	Goddess of Discord
Maia	Fauna, Bono Dea	Goddess of Fields, "Good Goddess"
	Flora	Goddess of Flowers
Hypnos	Somnus	God of Sleep
	Juturna	Goddess of Springs [Water]
Nike	Victoria	Goddess of Victory
Peitha	Suadela	Goddess of Persuasion
Hecate	Trivia	Goddess of the Crossways, the Dark Side of the Moon, and Magic
Tyche	Fortuna	Goddess of Fortune
	Voluptas	Goddess of Pleasure
Poena		Goddess of Punishment
Nemesis		Goddess of Revenge
Hespera		Goddess of Dusk
Morpheus		God of Dreams
Phosphor	Lucifer	Light-bearer, Star that brings in the day
Fama		God of fame, rumor

source

As you can see the Romans really changed the gods up to reach the standards that they wanted, because htey thought they were the superior beings (which they were at that time), and also because they wanted to be different from everyone else. now think nowadays doesn't America want to be different then everyone else? Don't American's change things up to reach their standards to show that they are superior? Yes to both, we like the Romans want to be different it shows that we are superior.

This blog wen through the idea that Rome was superior at that time. Rome wanted to be different then the Greeks because they took over them and all of the Mediterranean which would make them the super power at the time. So the Romans decided to change the gods that everyone worshiped they changed names added new ones and took some of the gods out to show the world that they can do what they wanted. Some of the gods had completely different names then what they had when the Greeks were in control.


References:

"The Olympians." Dr. James Jackson. http://198.248.56.50/~jjackson/oly.html.

Siren, "Greek Gods." http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/7371/greekgods.html.

Tulane University, "Priapus." http://homeport.tcs.tulane.edu/lester/text/Western.Architect/Pompeii/Pompeii65.html.

Parada, Carlos. Greek Mythology Link. http://www.hsa.brown.edu/~maicar/.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1942