FORMY OBECNOŚCI BÓSTW OPIEKUŃCZYCH WOJNY W MILITARNYCH PRZEDSIĘWZIĘCIACH STAROŻYTNEGO ŚWIATA GRECJI I RZYMU

Abstract

THE PRESENCE OF GUARDIAN WAR-GODS IN THE MILITARY CAMPAIGNS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROMEAccording to the beliefs and popular imagination of ancient Greeks and Romans, numerous deities associated with war watched over their communities and interfered in various ways in nearly every phase of military campaigns. Additionally, they provided protection to these communities also once the war was over and assumed the role of witnesses and guarantors of peace treaties. In philosophical terms, the war was closely associated with the world of gods, for it had been sanctioned as the foundation of the world’s existence, in the effect of the cosmogonic process, in which it played the role of a causative force; thus it may be recognized as a necessary element which guarantees the existence of order in the structure of the universe.The numerous Greek and Roman deities not only personify war and its various aspects, but are also attributed with the role of strategists, inventors of the various techniques of conducting war-fare as well as of different elements of armament. According to ancient beliefs, deities represent a wide spectrum of behavioral patterns with respect to military activities – beginning with personal participation in the defense of their own sanctuary, and ending with indirect presence, when they extend their special care and protection to their favorites, that is army commanders