intended to keep the relation god/human healthy. The relation between god and man was kept somewhat like a contract, I give you something and you give me something in return, inscriptions on alters were often words of thanks to the god(s). It was believed that the gods could see all human activities, provide for all human needs, protect against danger and heal the sick. In return, they were worshiped according to their functions and spheres of influence. People offered sacrifices, votive offerings and prayers , and looked after the gods' sacred places. Except for a few specific cults the gods were not expected to provide salvation after death (as in the Christian sense), but rather rewards and favors during life in return for piety , service and sacrifice to them. There were official gods like Jupiter or Juno who had their own official festivities , the Games began by being part of the public religious ceremonial of the Roman people. However, by the time of Martial and of Juvenal, the crowds who thronged the streets, the theaters and the circuses had very little knowledge of or interest in any ceremonial meaning there might have once been behind the Games ; nevertheless the ancient traditions inspiring them were kept alive. Many of the Romans themselves were ignorant of this early religious aspect of their apparently mundane, secular games and festivals. So it came about that games staged at first to gratify the gods and to do them honor, soon descended to the very low level of gratifying the baser passions of the hungry, ignorant, lazy and idle mob (Handbook To Life In Ancient Greece). By the end of the Republic and in the early days of the Roman Empire very few educated Romans seemed to have retained any genuine belief in the existence of the gods. The poet Ovid is a suitable sample, they thought it was a good idea to keep the popular beliefs alive, "It's useful that there should be god", he said, " so let's believe there are, and le...
