adoration

thumb|right|300px|Adoration, 1913, by William Strang Adoration is respect, reverence, strong admiration, and love for a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin adōrātiō, meaning "to give homage or worship to someone or something".

==Ancient Rome== In classical Rome, adoration was primarily an act of homage or worship. Among the Romans, it was performed by raising the hand to the mouth, kissing it and then waving it in the direction of the adored object. This act was called Adoratio and was performed during rites. The devotee had their head covered and, after the act, turned themselves round from left to right. Sometimes they kissed the feet or knees of the images of the gods themselves; Saturn and Hercules were adored with the head bare.