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Christians in ancient Rome were called atheists because they did not believe in the gods of Rome.Yes, and it all began with the Greeks around 5 BC. They had this word, "theos" meaning with Gods; therefore the opposite would be atheos or without Gods. Add the Greek suffix (ist) and it indicates followers and we have someone who does not follow God(s). Fun to note that atheism isn't some new phenomenon. People didn't believe in God(s) long before modern science.