Mercury did not appear among the ''
of early Roman religion. Rather, he subsumed the earlier Dei Lucrii as Roman religion was syncretized with Greek religion during the time of the Roman Republic, starting around the 4th century BC. He was one of the Di Novensides'' ("New Gods") of
Greek origin. He has been compared to the
Turms had similar characteristics. From the beginning, Mercury had essentially the same aspects as
Hermes, wearing winged shoes (
talaria) and a winged hat (), and carrying the
caduceus, a herald's staff with two entwined snakes that was
Apollo's gift to Hermes. He was often accompanied by a
rooster, herald of the new day, a ram or goat, symbolizing
fertility, and a tortoise, referring to Mercury's legendary invention of the
lyre from a tortoise shell. Like Hermes, he was also a god of messages, eloquence and of trade, particularly of the
grain trade. He was the patron of travelers and the god of thievery as well. Mercury was also considered a god of abundance and commercial success, particularly in
Gaul, where he was said to have been particularly revered. He was also, like Hermes, the Romans'
psychopomp, leading newly deceased souls to the afterlife. Additionally,
Ovid wrote that Mercury carried
Morpheus's dreams from the valley of
Somnus to sleeping humans. Archeological evidence from
Pompeii suggests that Mercury was among the most popular of Roman gods. The god of commerce was depicted on two early bronze coins of the Roman Republic, the
sextans and the . ==Syncretism==