Greek Religion 1.3

Religion and Society

What is a polis?

A Greek 'city state'

Where did household religious participation take place?

The oikos

What is the oikos?

The family, the household or the home

Who is the kurios?

Male head of the household

What was the religious role of the kurios?

Religious authority lay with him and he acted as the priest and overseer of the household rituals

Which three household gods would the kurios make offerings to daily?

Zeus Ktesios, Zeus Herkeios, Apollo Agyeios

What was Zeus Ktesios' role?

Protector of property and wealth. A depiction of Zeus Ktesios would likely have been kept in the storeroom. He was represented by a two-handled vase draped in a white woollen ribbon, filled with seeds, water and olive oil.

What was the role of Zeus Herkeios?

Zeus 'of the fence' protected the enclosure of the house and his statue therefore stood in the courtyard, around which the house was structured. He was often depicted with a snake to ward off evil.

What was the role of Apollo Agyeios?

Apollo Agogyeios protected the house outside the main door. He was represented by a statuette or a small pillar.

What were the two other household religious areas that protected the home?

The Hearth and the Herm

What was the Hearth?

Every household had a central hearth, dedicated to Hestia, goddess of the hearth. New members of the family, such as babies, new brides or slaves, were welcomed into the home with a small ceremony of walking around the fire, showered by dried fruit and nuts.

What was the Herm?

Herms were a rectangular pillar with the bearded head of the god Hermes at the top and a phallus further down. They stood both as halfway markers on roads and as a protective symbol outside houses.

What offerings were placed at gravesites annually?

Offerings of garlands and libations of milk and honey

What was the Apatouris?

The three-day festival in honour of Zeus Phratrios where the son is welcome into his father's phratry

What was the main religious participation for women?

Priestesses for state cults or in communal civic cults, and performing the appropriate rites when someone died

What does the young girl in Aristophanes' 'Lysistrata' say about her religious participation?

'As soon as I was seven years old, I was an Arrephoros; then I was a Grinder; when I was ten, at the Brauronia, I shed my saffron gown as one of the Foundress's Bears; and I was also once a basket-bearer, a beautiful girl, wearing a string of dried figs.'

What was the Arrephoros?

This was a secret ritual performed in May associated with the temple of Athena Polias, Athena of the city. The arrephoroi, the two maidens chosen each year, carried a basket on their heads. They took it from nearby the temple of Athena on the Acropolis through an underground passage to the sanctuary of Aphrodite in the Gardens.

What was the role of the grinder at festivals?

These girls ground the meal for the cakes which would be offered to Athena on her altar at various occasions, such as at the Panathenaic Festival

What did girls do at the Brauronia?

At the sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron, girls would dress up like bears. This ritual was required for all Athenian girl before they could marry.

What festivals could women take part in once married?

The Thesmophoria, a women-only festival in honour of Demeter and Kore, or the Eleusinian Mysteries

What was the population of the deme Erchia?

About 500 male adults and 2000-3000 residents in total

How many days of sacrifice were listed on the Erchia sacred calendar?

25 days of sacrifice per year, during which they sacrificed 59 animals

Who paid for the deme sacrifices?

The wealthier demesmen

Which six Apollos does the Erchia calendar record worship of?

Apotropaios (averter of evil), Delphinios (of Delphi), Lykeios (of wolves), Nymphegetes (leader of the nymphs), Paion (healer), Pythios (the Pythian)

Why did Erchia celebrate the Proerosia, a 'pre-ploughing' festival?

Erchia was in the countryside, and the Proerosia was in honour of Demeter

Who paid for and organised polis religious participation?

They were paid for with state funds and organised by state officials

What does critic Jon Mikalson say about polis religion?

'The state… was recognising nationally the importance of these family deities.'

How is the worship of Hestia seen in both polis religion and household religion?

Just as in the oikos, a polis hearth was set up, ie in the Prytaneion, a state dining room in the Athenian agora

What is an example of polis religion having links with deme or local religious cults?

The Eleusinian Mysteries were performed at Eleusis, an Athenian deme on its border. However, the Athenians built a City Eleusinion to correspond to the sanctuary at Eleusis on the slopes of the Acropolis. They even integrated this into the worship by gathering here before the procession to Eleusis.

What were the most important Panhellenic sanctuaries?

Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia, sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea, sanctuary of Poseidon at Isthmus

What epithet was worshipped at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi and which games were held there?

Pythian Apollo (meaning Apollo who slew Pytho) and the Pythian Games

What epithet was worshipped at the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and which games were held there?

Olympian Zeus and the Olympic Games

What epithet was worshipped at the sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea and which games were held there?

Nemean Zeus (Zeus of Nemea) and the Nemean Games

What epithet was worshipped at the sanctuary of Poseidon at Isthmus and which games were held there?

Isthmian Poseidon (Poesideon of the Isthmus) and the Isthmian Games

Why were the Olympic Games held every four years?

Because Games were held at each of the four important Panhellenic sanctuaries, alternating in venue annually

What is an example of a priestess serving a male god?

The female Pythia who served Apollo at Delphi

What was the role of priests and priestesses?

Overseeing rituals, such as sacrifices, libations and prayers, as well as taking care of the sanctuary to the god they were assigned to

What was an archon?

An Athenian magistrate

Who also had religious authority?

Civic officials and magistrates

What was the archon basileus' religious duties?

The main religious official of the Athenian state. His role included responsibility over the religious calebdar and he had judicial authority over religious matters, such as impiety trials. He was also responsible for all sacrifices that involved 'ancestral cults', including the Eleusinian Mysteries.

What was the eponymous archon's religious duties?

The eponymous archon after who the year was named had authority over the civic festicals, ie the City Dionysia in honour of Dionysus

What was the war archon's religious duties?

The polemarch was in charge of cults related to military affairs, including Artemis Agrotera, to whom sacrifices on the battlefield were made, Enyalios (another name for Ares god of war), the public funeral in honour of the Athenian war dead and a festival commemorating Athenian victory at Marathon in 490.

How does Plutarch show comparisons between the role of the father in the household and the archon basileus in the city in his 'Moralia'?

He writes about the scapegoat ritual where evil, in the form of famine or plague, is symbolically banished from a communiry or household. During this rite, household servants who represent evils are struck and expelled while the archon basileus shouts 'out with Famine and in with Wealth and Health'. These rituals occurred both in a public setting, by the archon at the public hearth, and in a domestic context, by the kurios at the familial hearth.

What were epimeletai?

'Overseers'. They were individually appointed in Athens for particular festivals, such as the Panathenaia. They had to pay for the processions (until 2nd half of 4thC, when it was paid by state funds).

How many epimeletai were appointed for the Eleusinian Mysteries?

4 epimeletai. Two were from the two priestly families with hereditary responsibilities in the cult of Demeter and Kore, the descendants of Eumolpos.

What was the main jurisdiction for the epimeletai for Athena Parthenos?

Mostly financial

What did critic Louise Bruit Zaidman say about the intermingling of religious and civic matters?

'Religion… did more than just put a divine gloss on civic life. It impregnated each and every civic activity.'

What does miasma mean?

Impiety or pollution in relation to the gods

What are some ways you could get polluted?

Giving birth, abortion, being physically dirty, not honouring the gods correctly, disrespecting the ancestral laws of burial, disrespecting someone's right to asylum, sexual intercourse, being in the presence of death, murder

What is a way an individual could purify themselves if polluted?

If they were dirty, they could sprinkle some water on themselves in the basin at the entrance of a sanctuary

What could a murderer not do during their ritual purification period?

The polluted could not attend sacrifices, libations or contests in honour of the gods, nor enter their sanctuaries; they were excluded from civic worship.

Who were responsible to uphold standards of miasma against the polluted?

It was the responsibility of the polis

What decree about miasma was passed in 433?

A decree was passed providing for the public prosecution of 'those who did not believe in the gods' - it was under these circumstances individuals like Socrates were put on trial

How does Oedipus' miasma affect his whole polis in Sophocles' 'Oedipus Tyrannus'?

Unknowingly, Oedipus had caused a plague on his city of Thebes because he is polluted after he killed his father and slept with his mother

What is an example of political decisions being made with religious consultations?

Peace treaties were sworn by oaths to the gods, Zeus being the gods of oaths (Zeus Horkios.) They were also accompanied by libations or sacrifices.

What other Sacred Truce was protected by Zeus?

The Sacred Truce made by all Greek city states during the Olympic Games, which guaranteed an end to any conflict for the duration of the festivals

What did Croesus consult the oracle at Delphi about concerning war?

He asked whether he should wage war against the Persians or not

What was the famous consultation between the Athenians at the oracle at Delphi after Xerxes' invasion of Greece about?

They asked what they should do - the Pythia's advice to take refuge in 'wooden walls' led to Themistocles' interpretation that victory lay in their navy

Why did Pausanias and the Spartans refuse to fight the Persians before the Battle of Plataea?

They refused to fight until the sacrificial omens were favourable

How were military victory celebrations devoted to the gods?

The Athenians erected a stoa at Delphi in thanks for the advice of the Pythia and dedicated the capthred Persian triremes to the sanctuaries of Poseidon at Nemea and Isthmia in thanks for their naval victories

What was the Areopagus?

The site of the Athenian law courts, opposite the Acropolis

What did the opening ceremony of the Athenian assembly meeting begin with?

The sacrifice of a piglet, whose blood was spattered over the assembly members

What sort of matters were privileged at the Athenian assembly?

Religious matters. They were dealt with first at two of the four monthly meetings of the assembly

What did law courts have jurisdiction over?

Political, civic, and sacred (religious) matters

Which law courts were Alcibiades and Socrates tried for impiety at?

The Areopagus

What is an example of a religious case the council of the Areopagus heard?

A case concerning damage to the sacred olive trees of Athena

Who does tragic playwright Aeschylus say founded the Areopagus in his 'Oresteia'?

Athena. She founded it as a way for her to help the Athenians to end the revenge killings that plagued the house of Agamemnon

Where were civic funds housed?

In treasuries and sacred buildings

Which city state did the Parthenon store money for?

Athens. It stored the money gathered from their allies each year

Why were Spartan kings considered god-like according to Herodotus?

Their dual kingship was believed to have derived from Zeus' twin sons, the Dioskouri. They were also believed to be descendants of Heracles

What does Xenophon say about Spartan kings?

'A king by virtue of his divine descent, should perform all the public sacrifices on the city's behalf'

What other religious privileges did kings have?

They could also consult the oracles whenever they wished and they were thought to be the first ones to receive divine messages through public sacrifices.

What sacred wall designated the borders of sanctuaries?

A temenos

Were most sacred spaces open or closed?

Open

What are examples of purely political buildings in the Athenian agora?

The council-house (bouleuterion) and the government seat (prytaneion)

What are examples of purely religious buildings in the Athenian agora?

The altar of the twelve gods, the Temple of Apollo Patroos and the Hephaistion

What is an example of a building that served both a political and religious purpose in the Athenian agora?

The Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios. It had a clear religious purpose, thanking Zeus for freeing Greece from the Persian invasion, but it took the form of a civic building. It was alongside administrative buildings, and was perhaps where the six judicial archons came together to deliberate and dine.

What is another example of a building that served both a political and religious purpose in the Athenian agora?

The Prytaneion. It was where officials relating to the governing of the city met, and also housed the sacred hearth.

Who lived at the Prytaneion in Olympia?

Both priests and magistrates

What is a hecatomb?

A great public sacrifice of 100 oxen

What is the Propylaia?

Elaborate entrance gateway onto the Athenian Acropolis

How often was the Lesser Panathenaia celebrated?

Every year

How often was the Great Panathenaia held?

Every four years

What did the Great Panathenaia start with?

It started with a procession (pompe) that gathered by the Dipylon Gate on the outskirts of the city

What shows how large the procession of the Panathenaia became?

They had to build a special building, the Pompeion, for it, which was 70 by 35 metres

What was the route of the Panathenaiac procession?

The procession started at the Dipylon Gate, processed through the kerameikos, an area of the city which contained the ancient cemetery, through the agora and up to the Acropolis via the Propylaia.

How wide was the Panathenaiac Way?

Ten metres wide to accommodate the large crowds

What does the frieze of the Parthenon show about the importance of the Panathenaiac procession?

It shows it was an important part of Athenian religious and civic life and how unifying it is (civic pride). The sculpture shows the entire population of Athens, including the aristocracy of Athens, elder citizens, women, animals to sacrifice and ritual objects. It was the first time a scene portraying real life was depicted on a temple.

What was Athena Polias gifted at the climax of the festival?

A saffron-dyed peplos decorated with a scene of Athena's duel with the giant Encelados in the Gigantomachy

Who wove Athena Polias' peplos?

The Ergastinai, maidens from aristocratic families

Where was the wooden cult statue of Athena Polias kept?

The east room of the Erechtheion

Who weaved the peplos for the Great Panathenaia?

Professional male weavers

What was the Great Panathenaia peplos also used for?

It was used as a sail on a wooden ship that was rolled up the Acropolis during the procession. Athens' naval power was hereby also celebrated and associated with the goddess.

Which statue was the Great Panathenaia peplos perhaps draped on?

Pheidias' chryselephantine statue in the Parthenon

What does a civic decree from 335/4 record about sacrifices in the Great Panethanaia?

The cattle bought with rent from the land sacred to Athena were sacrificed on the great altar of Athena on the Acropolis, and the best parts were kept for sacrifice on the altar of Athena Nike

Who else were given the best portions of the meat on the Acropolis?

Civic officials such as the archons, the treasurer of the goddess, sacrificial officials, generals, and Athenians who participated in the procession and the maidens who carried the vessels (the kanephoroi)

Where did the distribution of the remaining sacrificial meat happen in the Panathenaia?

In the kerameikos, an area on the outskirts of the city, among men of the various demes

Who paid for the sacrifices in the Panathenaia?

Either paid directly by the city or by imposing liturgies (financial obligations) on rich Athenians and foreign residents

How does the distribution of sacrificial meat in the Panathenaia reflect the democratic nature of Athens?

All citizens were entitled to a portion, all at public expense

How long may have sacrifices last in the Panathenaic Festival?

Between one to three days