Jupiter was the king of the Roman gods and the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Zeus.
He began as a sky and daylight deity and became Rome’s chief state god. Jupiter controlled thunder, lightning, storms, and the heavens, while also witnessing oaths and defending justice and good government. His principal temple, the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, stood on the Capitoline Hill, where he formed the central figure of the Capitoline Triad with Juno and Minerva.
Roman myths and artwork often adapted stories that originally belonged to Zeus, which is why Jupiter is shown wielding a thunderbolt and accompanied by an eagle. Jupiter’s siblings included Neptune and Pluto, who ruled the sea and underworld respectively, but neither held his position as supreme sky god. He was also known as Jove, a poetic form that survives in words such as jovial and Jovian.