The Roman imperial cult was the practice of venerating Roman emperors and their families as having divine attributes, honoring their contributions to the spread of Roman religion and culture. It was instituted by the first Roman emperor Augustus (r. 27 BCE to 14 CE) in his reforms and transformation of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Imperial_Cult/.