▁one ▁( not ▁even ▁old ▁women ▁and ▁boys ) ▁is ▁so ▁fool ish ▁as ▁to ▁believe ▁in ▁the ▁terror s ▁of ▁H ades ▁or ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁S cy ll as , ▁cent a urs ▁or ▁other ▁composite ▁cre atures , ▁but , ▁on ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁the ▁or ator ▁elsewhere ▁compla ins ▁of ▁the ▁super st it ious ▁and ▁cred ul ous ▁character ▁of ▁the ▁people . ▁De ▁N atura ▁De orum ▁is ▁the ▁most ▁compreh ensive ▁summary ▁of ▁Cic ero ' s ▁line ▁of ▁thought . ▁ ▁Syn cret izing ▁tr ends ▁ ▁In ▁An cient ▁Roman ▁times , ▁a ▁new ▁Roman ▁myth ology ▁was ▁born ▁through ▁syn cret ization ▁of ▁numerous ▁Greek ▁and ▁other ▁foreign ▁gods . ▁This ▁occurred ▁because ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁had ▁little ▁myth ology ▁of ▁their ▁own , ▁and ▁inheritance ▁of ▁the ▁Greek ▁myth ological ▁tradition ▁caused ▁the ▁major ▁Roman ▁gods ▁to ▁adopt ▁characteristics ▁of ▁their ▁Greek ▁equival ents . ▁The ▁gods ▁Ze us ▁and ▁Jup iter ▁are ▁an ▁example ▁of ▁this ▁myth ological ▁overlap . ▁In ▁addition ▁to ▁the ▁combination ▁of ▁the ▁two ▁myth ological ▁trad itions , ▁the ▁association ▁of ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁with ▁eastern ▁relig ions ▁led ▁to ▁further ▁syn cret izations . ▁For ▁instance , ▁the ▁cult ▁of ▁Sun ▁was ▁introduced ▁in ▁Rome ▁after ▁A ure li an ' s ▁successful ▁campaign s ▁in ▁Sy ria . ▁The ▁A si atic ▁div in ities ▁M ith ras ▁( that ▁is ▁to ▁say , ▁the ▁Sun ) ▁and ▁Ba ' al ▁were ▁combined