Belief in the Afterlife and Religious Consciousness in Roman Society (I BC – AD II)

This article explores the belief of Roman society in the afterlife. It is well-established that Roman society lacked a single consensus on the nature of life and death, the soul’s existence in the afterlife, and related matters. For instance, some believed that the soul perished alongside the body. However, the everyday religious consciousness of Roman society embraced the idea of an afterlife as a physical realm that provided shelter for the souls of the dead and could, under certain circumstances, be accessed by the living. Evil deeds committed during life were believed to be repaid with punishment in the afterlife. Properly conducted funeral rites were thought to aid the soul of the deceased in its journey from the world of the living to the realm of the dead, ensuring its peace in the afterlife. The widespread belief in the soul’s continued existence paved the way for Roman society to embrace the ideas of Christianity.