Here are some facts about the Ancient Roman God, Jupiter.
- Jupiter is sometimes known as Jove.
- He is the King of the Gods, God of the Sky and associated with thunderstorms.
- He wields a thunderbolt and he is often pictured with an eagle at his side.
- In Roman mythology, Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome and the successor to Romulus, is persuaded by Jupiter to set out the principles of Roman religion.
- The oak was Jupiter’s sacred tree.
- The Romans thought of Jupiter as being equivalent to the Zeus, the Ancient Greek God. As a result, Jupiter is often thought of as the son of Saturn, and the brother of Neptune and Pluto.
- His children include: Mars, Vulcan and Hercules, and Juno is often said to be his wife.
- White oxen and lambs were often sacrificed in to appease Jupiter.
- The oldest temple to Jupiter is situated on the Capitoline Hill in Rome.
- Jupiter was considered to be the protector of Rome, and he was associated with oaths and treaties.
- He was worshipped as Jupiter Optimus-Maximus.