There was a rich diversity of religious beliefs throughout ancient Europe, the land-mass stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the mountains of the Caucasus. The peoples about whose beliefs and religious practices we know the most are the Greeks and Romans in southern Europe, but we also have some knowledge of the early religion of the Celtic and Germanic peoples in the north-west. They were made up of many separate tribes, and some penetrated at various times into southern and eastern Europe. Their religion was not centrally organized, and was preserved in oral tradition, but archaeology and the study of later literature have added considerably to our knowledge.

Early Europe

The inhabitants of Europe whom the Romans viewed as barbarians consisted of small tribal groups, ruled by petty kings and warrior leaders. Consequently their history is confused and complicated, and there were no major religious centres in pre-Roman times influencing large areas of Europe. The tribes fought with one another, made alliances and formed larger groups from time to time, and a number came under the domination of Rome. When the Roman Empire collapsed there was considerable movement of peoples, and larger permanent kingdoms were established (Map 8.1). Some Germanic tribes penetrated into Italy, and Rome itself was taken over in the last part of the fifth century, to be ruled by Theodoric the Ostrogoth from 493 to 526. The Franks obtained possession of Gaul, and the Anglo-Saxons settled in England.