The Roman and Greek empires both had a polytheistic religion. They shared the same gods and goddesses, but had different names. Such as Athena, her Roman name was Minerva. Despite the names, temples ceremonies and processions still happened in honor of the Gods. In daily life the people felt the need to praise and please the Gods, so they would have rituals or sacrifices. Early Romans sought to achieve harmony with the Gods, while Greeks felt religion was only there to explain nature, emotions and to give them benefits in life. The Greeks had oracles, any person or thing serving as an agency of divine communication, who told travelers their prophecies. Romans had religion to unify a state, though Greece had religion to better understand why things are the way they are.