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> There was a massive growth of population and a dramatic shift in ideology with the appearance of fertility iconography.

Interesting! Does anyone know if these two tend to go together often?

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Pretty much: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fertility_deities

Sorry, I don't see anything about population growth in there?

(Wow, the Romans had 25 different fertility gods...)

Off topic, but your parenthetical has me curious: Did the Romans of antiquity generally agree on a single pantheon of Gods, or would it be more accurate to say that across the Roman population, there were 25 fertility gods represented?

Would love to hear from a history enthusiast!

The Romans pre Christianity pretty much adopted any God they liked. There people who worshipped gods from the Greek, Egyptian, and many other pantheons as well as weirder sects and cults. With a few exceptions like the Jews, most people didn't see it a contradictions for multiple sets of dieties to exist and influence the world.

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