Religion of Greece
Gods in ancient Greece were human-looking but still had superhuman strength and stunning beauty. The oldest Greek literatures have recorded people interacting with gods and goddesses. These superhuman beings underwent character and appearance changes in the centuries that followed. The following are the gods:
-Zeus (God of Lightning and King of Gods)
-Athena (Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Tactics)
-Apollo (God of the Sun, Music and Medicines)
-Poseidon (God of the Seas and Earthquakes)
-Hermes (God of Thieves and Wealth)
-Hera (Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth)
-Aphrodite (Goddess of Love and Beauty)
-Demeter (Goddess of Farming)
-Ares (God of War)
-Artemis (Goddess of the Moon and Hunting)
-Hades (God of Death)
-Hephaestus (God of Fire and Blacksmiths)
-Dionysus (God of Wine)
There are many more!
These gods are thought to live on Mt. Olympus and can be recognized through attributes and sacrifices to these gods. In Greek literature gods are given a human body. They even married and had kids with mortals, fought and sometimes directly intervened in battles. Later on gods became patrons of other cities, like Aphrodite for Corinth and Helios for Rhodes. The gods were called for particular problems like Ares for war and Hera for weddings.
Temples were made for different deities like Zeus and Athena. At first sacred sites just had altars at designated places but later massive temples were built honor of one god. These temples usually housed a statue of the god and one of the most famous ones is the huge statue of Athena in Parthenon of Athena or Zeus at Olympia. Sometimes many temples for lesser gods sprung up around the temples for the major gods and formed a sacred complex.
The temple was not used for religious purposes (rituals etc.), that was done in a designated area with altars for sacrifices. These sacred areas were blocked of from the communities by a gate or a propylon (a monumental gate or entryway to sacred places). The sacred complexes received financial donations from faithful devotees (who are also VERY rich) and are used for celebrations like a great military achievement.
Ancient authors didn't go into details about the religious celebrations and rites as if they were too sacred to be written down. Most common religious practices had sacrifices and pouring tributes for the gods, while praying. Most animals that were pigs, sheep, goats or cows and the animals were the same gender as the god they were being sacrificed to. The meat was burnt completely or cooked, with a part of it offered to the gods and the rest eaten by the worshippers. The killing of the animal was done by a butcher or a cook after a young girl sprinkled seeds on the animals as a sign of rebirth at the moment of the animal's death. Other rituals had priests examining the entrails of the animals for future events.
The priests then said their prayers and orchestrated the religious ceremonies. The position was open to anyone and once they wore the sacred headband they were free from injuries. Priests usually served one god but were not necessarily experts in religious ceremonies. Women were also allowed to be priests which is sort of surprising considering the fact that women had restrictions in the Grecian society. Most of the time the priests were the same gender as the god they were serving. Priestess were only chosen because they were virgins or they were beyond menopause. Worshippers could be both genders but there were rituals which were meant only for men or women.
There were also rituals that were done in private and were only known by the people who performed them. One of the most famous ones is the Mysteries of Eleusis. These closed groups believed that these rituals provided them with a better afterlife. Sacred places could acquire divine contacts and these places soon became hugely important and had priests who consulted spirits like the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. Individuals and city-states both went to consult the oracles for their futures.
Athletic games and musical competitions, especially playing the lyre, and theatre, both tragedy and comedy, were held during festivals such as the City Dionysia of Athens and the Panhellenic games, to honor a particular god. People from all over Greece came to watch these games and it was usually a pilgrim and not for sport fans. These pilgrims were granted free access across and warfare was not allowed. There were some festivals which were private and only selected people could participate. For example Arrhephoria in Athens, where only priestesses and a maximum of 4 young girls were allowed to participate.
Even though historical records revealed formal occasions and rituals we should not forget that Greek religion was practiced in private too. Hearths were also thought to be sacred. Individuals could come to the temple whenever they pleased and it was customary to say a prayer even while going past. People left offerings at temples and even organized their own private sacrifices. This has been proved by memorials on stone reliefs all across the country. People went to temples for healing to especially to Apollo's because he was the God of Medicines. People looked for signs from the gods in everyday life, like a dream, a conversation between friends, a bird in the sky even a simple sneeze could prove to be auspicious or inauspicious.
The beliefs of the ancient Greeks like the immortality of their gods was severely criticized by artists and philosophers from the 5th century BC. You never know the archeologist facts could have been everyday life for these Greeks.
-Zeus (God of Lightning and King of Gods)
-Athena (Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Tactics)
-Apollo (God of the Sun, Music and Medicines)
-Poseidon (God of the Seas and Earthquakes)
-Hermes (God of Thieves and Wealth)
-Hera (Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth)
-Aphrodite (Goddess of Love and Beauty)
-Demeter (Goddess of Farming)
-Ares (God of War)
-Artemis (Goddess of the Moon and Hunting)
-Hades (God of Death)
-Hephaestus (God of Fire and Blacksmiths)
-Dionysus (God of Wine)
There are many more!
These gods are thought to live on Mt. Olympus and can be recognized through attributes and sacrifices to these gods. In Greek literature gods are given a human body. They even married and had kids with mortals, fought and sometimes directly intervened in battles. Later on gods became patrons of other cities, like Aphrodite for Corinth and Helios for Rhodes. The gods were called for particular problems like Ares for war and Hera for weddings.
Temples were made for different deities like Zeus and Athena. At first sacred sites just had altars at designated places but later massive temples were built honor of one god. These temples usually housed a statue of the god and one of the most famous ones is the huge statue of Athena in Parthenon of Athena or Zeus at Olympia. Sometimes many temples for lesser gods sprung up around the temples for the major gods and formed a sacred complex.
The temple was not used for religious purposes (rituals etc.), that was done in a designated area with altars for sacrifices. These sacred areas were blocked of from the communities by a gate or a propylon (a monumental gate or entryway to sacred places). The sacred complexes received financial donations from faithful devotees (who are also VERY rich) and are used for celebrations like a great military achievement.
Ancient authors didn't go into details about the religious celebrations and rites as if they were too sacred to be written down. Most common religious practices had sacrifices and pouring tributes for the gods, while praying. Most animals that were pigs, sheep, goats or cows and the animals were the same gender as the god they were being sacrificed to. The meat was burnt completely or cooked, with a part of it offered to the gods and the rest eaten by the worshippers. The killing of the animal was done by a butcher or a cook after a young girl sprinkled seeds on the animals as a sign of rebirth at the moment of the animal's death. Other rituals had priests examining the entrails of the animals for future events.
The priests then said their prayers and orchestrated the religious ceremonies. The position was open to anyone and once they wore the sacred headband they were free from injuries. Priests usually served one god but were not necessarily experts in religious ceremonies. Women were also allowed to be priests which is sort of surprising considering the fact that women had restrictions in the Grecian society. Most of the time the priests were the same gender as the god they were serving. Priestess were only chosen because they were virgins or they were beyond menopause. Worshippers could be both genders but there were rituals which were meant only for men or women.
There were also rituals that were done in private and were only known by the people who performed them. One of the most famous ones is the Mysteries of Eleusis. These closed groups believed that these rituals provided them with a better afterlife. Sacred places could acquire divine contacts and these places soon became hugely important and had priests who consulted spirits like the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. Individuals and city-states both went to consult the oracles for their futures.
Athletic games and musical competitions, especially playing the lyre, and theatre, both tragedy and comedy, were held during festivals such as the City Dionysia of Athens and the Panhellenic games, to honor a particular god. People from all over Greece came to watch these games and it was usually a pilgrim and not for sport fans. These pilgrims were granted free access across and warfare was not allowed. There were some festivals which were private and only selected people could participate. For example Arrhephoria in Athens, where only priestesses and a maximum of 4 young girls were allowed to participate.
Even though historical records revealed formal occasions and rituals we should not forget that Greek religion was practiced in private too. Hearths were also thought to be sacred. Individuals could come to the temple whenever they pleased and it was customary to say a prayer even while going past. People left offerings at temples and even organized their own private sacrifices. This has been proved by memorials on stone reliefs all across the country. People went to temples for healing to especially to Apollo's because he was the God of Medicines. People looked for signs from the gods in everyday life, like a dream, a conversation between friends, a bird in the sky even a simple sneeze could prove to be auspicious or inauspicious.
The beliefs of the ancient Greeks like the immortality of their gods was severely criticized by artists and philosophers from the 5th century BC. You never know the archeologist facts could have been everyday life for these Greeks.