 Tutelary deities were particularly important in ancient Rome.Thus, Janus and Vesta guarded the door and hearth, the Lares protected the field and house, Pales the pasture, Saturn the sowing, Ceres the growth of the grain, Pomona the fruit, and Consus and Ops the harvest.Even the majestic Jupiter, the ruler of the gods, was honored for the aid his rains might give to the farms and vineyards.