Religion was an integral part of ancient culture and society, the gods and their related religious observances being a necessary, tangible part of day-to-day life. Whether worshipping a host of gods - such as the Greek or Persian pantheons, opposing forces of wisdom and destruction - as in Zoroastrianism, or monotheistic beliefs - such as Judaism, religious worship was everywhere. Tolerance of different beliefs was not always universal however, but with the movement of beliefs and philosophies carried along the Royal and Silk Roads, and the spice routes, there was a great intermingling of religious ideas.
