classics- religion

Do a mindmap about facts for eleusian mysteries

Possible points

• A mystery cult offering personal initiation by choice, a conscious decisions to undergo an initiation and promise to keep experience a sacred secret

• Mystes- an initiate

• Anyone could be initiated: man or woman, slave or free, old or young, Greek or non Greek

• Only had to speak Greek and have not committed a serious crime (murder)

• Distinction between initiated and non initiated: revealing secret was capital crime, could not speak about rituals or revelation of secret

• Greater mysteries in autumn, lesser mysteries in spring

• Homeric hymn to Demeter: Demeter sighted under a tree in eleusis searching for Persephone, people think it has something to do with underworld

• Preparation: ritual cleansing and fasting experience and revelation of a secret - offer of eternal life

• Process : first day -(roughly) 3000 initiates & those to be initiated assemble in agora, Whole group (along with sacrificial animals) go to bathe in the sea, 3 days of rest (involves killing pig), fourth day - assemble in agora and form a procession on the 15 mile journey to eleusis - priests and priestesses carry sacred objects

• Journey: included sacred dances, songs, playing of flutes, libations, sacrifices etc., the young mock the old, Aphrodite an Iacchus worshipped (wine and fertility), on arrival, special priests led the ritual activity

• Next 2 days - fasting, unclear, drinking a special brew ( supposed/believed to make senses sharper), emphasis on using torchlight like Demeter losing daughter and searching for her using the light, simulation of own death to prepare for revelation/blinding light.

• Two grades and higher grade initiation and revelation took part at the end of festival.

What does the Ninnion tablet show/ tell us

• has the idea that Demeter and Persephone are present so are able to directly receive worship

• Men and women seen

• Initiates with torches and musical instruments

• Was in the sanctuary so may not have been intended to have been seen by non initiates

• Centre stone / omphalos and olive wreath both symbols of having done a ritual

Draw a mindmap about features of Delphi

• temple was Doric and longer due to the fault.

• Siphnian treasury - ionic (fancy), 524 BC, give thanks to Apollo for silver on their island, entirely out of marble , decorated with sculptures and caryatid porch, siphnos island.

• Athenian treasury : Doric - for strong appearance rather than fancy, slightly later, higher up on the “sacred way”, likely a thanks to Apollo for battle of marathon.

• Altar and dedications: altar of Apollo was a gift from islanders of Chios which allowed them a “fast track”, dedications to Apollo were given from a wide range of Greek city statues, Opposite the altar - bronze tripod on a snake base dedicated to a victory at Plataea, most of the dedications are political or religious

• Theatre: small, only place in sanctuary where a large number of people could gather

• Stoa and stadium: outside of precinct wall, site of Pythian games -every four years. Stoa - shaded columns, had to have enough ground for running (flat)

• Sanctuary of Athena: below main sanctuary and to the east, succession of temples 7thxrth century, circular monuments - tholos, slender Doric columns

• Delphi spring water said to make you eternally youthful also cleanse before sanctuary

• Delphi is in hillside

• Apollo said to have killed a snake and skin is under the Omphalos

• Delphi is universal

• Priestess sits on tripod→ gases/ fumes out of earth .

• Oracle speaks with words of Apollo, cannot be wrong, typically general questions asked, answer tends to be ambiguous.

Cult of Asclepius mindmap

• in the Iliad Asclepius is defined as a hero - “blameless physician”, taught by Chiron, helped seriously wounded men in Trojan war, son of Apollo and a mortal woman → links of healing and plague, worship tends to peak of epidemics

• The cult : two of famous sanctuaries epidavros and kos

• Worship of Asclepius: prep by bathing, sacrifices and sleeping in the stoa of the sanctuary ( process known as incubation), length of stay depended on nature of illness eg could be cured in their sleep or through surgery, prescription of medication, exercise, diet etc. meaning they would be assessed and help would be allocated, snakes were kept as their poison was said to cure illnesses, snakes associated with Asclepius → the idea “ Asclepius is with you”,

• votive offerings in form of body parts such as what you want cured or as a thanks for curing something

• Miracles: the display of miracles helped grow and develop cult, “miracle proved deity”, miracle accounts displayed at sanctuary

Leg found at Melos

• offering made by Tyche and daughter Hygeia,

• Healing of leg wound or broken leg

• Specifically after healing so it is a thank you

How useful is the source of the leg found at Melos

Can tell us the priorities of everyday people, shows that is a thank you after healing

Can’t tell us length of stay, it isn’t reflective of whole population, exclusive group

Name household gods and their roles

zeus ktesios:

• protector of property and wealth

• Represented by two handled vase draped in cloth holding seeds, oil & water

• Seeds - agriculture, water - trading overseas, oil-olive oil

• So could be representative of 3 fundamentals of wealth or main income in Athens

  Zeus herkeios:

• The protector of the enclosure of the house, usually a statue or a votive in the courtyard around which the house was built. Often with snakes to ward off bad luck

• Apollo agyeios protects the house from outside depicted on door by snake statue, small pillar or statue of Heracles

  the hearth, dedicated to hestia and new members of household would walk around the hearth showered by dry nuts and flowers - represents the family itself within the house

Facts about demes

• Athens was divided into demes

• Each deme had its own set of festivals and rituals

• Each deme had a sacred calendar with 25 days of sacrifices a year (59 animals in total) these were funded by wealthy members of the deme

What is miasma and examples

Miasma (pollution) it is considered dishonourable to the gods to conduct religious practices such as entering a temple or sacrifices when polluted. It was a punishable offence.

Various ways one is polluted:

1. Women after birth , still birth, loss of foetus or abortion and in some cases when menstruating

2. Physically dirty

3. Not honouring the gods in the right manner on right days

4. Disrespecting ancestral laws of burial

5. Disrespecting someone’s right to asylum, safe refuge in a sanctuary

6. Being in presence of a dead body or attending a funeral

7. Murder

8. Entering house of a woman who had just given burth

Mindmap about Olympia

• very flat to allow for athletic events

• For Olympic Games

• Closer to Delphi than Athens

• Important due to the Olympic truce → allows everyone to travel to the games safely

• Temple of Zeus - largest building in the sanctuary, commemorative monument, described by Pausanias, early classical on the east pediment chariot race between Oenomaos and peplops ( said to have happened at Olympia) West - Lapiths vs centaurs which is symbolically Greeks vs barbarians , use local stones but coated in marble, thicker columns. ( poor quality in comparison to limestone)

• Temple of Hera - older temple, described by Pausanias, cult image made of stone and wood, contains all the prizes, more sacred

• On pedestals there’s names of people who have cheated/ broken the rules

• Treasuries - constructed along a terrace to east between the temple & the stadium, temple like buildings - two Doric columns for porches, dedicated to Zeus in thanks

Priest and priestesses role

• one of the only places where men and women could have important public roles

• Role:

  • Performance of sacrifice

  • Upkeep and care of temples and shrines

  • Employed by city

  • Assisted the city magistrates in law court trials( shows how important religion was)

  • May interpret oracles

  • Unpaid or part time

  • But many privileges such as front row at theatre, best bits of sacrificial meat, respect and prestige

Aristocracy: priests and priestesses

• could inherit role

• Could purchase it could get it by lot

• Hereditary priesthood weee dominated by certain families (political)

Case study of women priestesses

• Athena polkas - from the Eteoboutadae family (old,historical mythological )

• Appeared beside political figures

• Frieze of Parthenon - archon hands her the peplos

• Led procession

• Generally men for gods and women for goddesses

Lysimache - priestess of Athena polias for 64 years (lyistrata by Aristophanes?)

Priestess of Hera in Argos, the Pythia

Thysia facts

Higher level of devotion than votive offerings, served dual processes : honour/ respect/ask for something but also allows them to eat meat as they don’t have a lot of meat in diet all the time

All sorts of animals eg goats fish sheep

Dependent on budget, request and festival

Sources : vases (visual) and literary eg Aristophanes birds, Euripides

Preparation :

• often at dawn

• Cleanse hands -purifying

• Handful of barley from basket - idea of connecting with nature and gods

• Animal decorated

• Sprinkle head of victim - force agreement as it has to nod head to do ritual

• Cut hair of victim and burn on altar - like alerting the gods / heads up

• Prayer - purpose of sacrifice

• Throw barley into fire

• Some animals could be specific eg gods favourite or the sex

• Expensive process

  killing

  • Could be stunned so it doesn’t wiggle about and looks more in agreement for the gods

  • Cut throat.( done by priest or priestess)

  • Ritual cry don by a woman ( ololyge) covers the noise of the animal so you can’t hear it “object”

  • Altar bloodied because altar is the focal point of the gods

  • Victim held over altar or blood poured using libation bowl

  the meat:

• The gods portion removed - bones and meat from limbs and burned on altar (inedible parts)

• Smoke rises to Olympus

• Wine poured over it

• Entrails removed and examined - if they are bad then whole process repeated

• Remaining meat cooked and distributed (intimacy with the gods - garland as they have had parts of same meal they are eating)

Purpose and function :

• unite community and family

• Hierarch if human and animal

• Celebration

• Appeasing and pleasing gods

No wine poured to chthonic deities (underworld)

The long complicated process indicates that you’re not guaranteed anything

After wars a black bull sacrificed to honour dead

Socrates facts

• wears dirty clothes, is ugly goes against Athenian ideals that if you’re clever you’re beautiful

• Mixed in powerful circles - friends with Alcibiades

• Middle / high class family and deme is Athenian

• 404 bc - Athens loses or Spartans, 399bc Socrates is charged so he is charged in a politically tense climate

• He is charged with impiety (asebia) in Greek and with corrupting youth of Athens

• The impiety is creating new gods and not respecting old ones properly

• Put in prison and sentenced to die via hemlocks - which is painful and paralyses you from feet up

• One of the final things he said was about making a sacrifice to the gods - cockerel to Asclepius

• Impiety punishable by death?

• Socrates daimonion - “spirit signal” which gave guidance which constituted an unapproved for god.

• Perceived a threat to democracy

• Goes against ideas such as fate

• Youth would go around barefoot and listen to him speak

• Spartans who overtook the city “thirty tyrants” known to have connections with Socrates

Scholarship quotes on religion

“ Religion was embedded into all aspects of life” - Price

“Sacrifices were major religious events” - price

Worship of the gods quotes

“ Traditional practices and gods should not be disrespected” - Deacy

“Each deity had a specific function to fulfil in an Athenians life” - mikalson

Politics and religion quote

“Religion impregnated every civic activity “ - zaidman

“ they were so connected that to attack one was to undermine the other” - Price

Men and women quotes - zeitlin

“ Religion allowed women to break free from domestic constraint” - zeitlin

“ the position of women was a paradox - they were the centre of the household and polis but marginalised in society and politics “ - zeitlin

Men and women quotes

“ fathers maintained household cults and family tombs” - mikalson

“ daughters were excluded from family and deme religion but included in state cults”

Philosophy quotes

“ Socrates was an enigma who forever changed our view of philosophy” - Nails

“ Socrates was a scapegoat for Athens’ disappointment - while they were strong he could’ve been tolerated “ - hughes

“ Socrates was respectful of the Pythia - unlikely he mocked traditional religion” - garland

Sanctuaries and cults - eleusian mysteries

“ mattered to everyone that the traditional festival rites were observed” scullion

“Eleusis Ian mysteries - the focus was on individual participation and salvation”- gibbon

“Eleusinian mysteries - secrecy ensures an extraordinary experience “ - burkert

Asclepius quotes

“ Asclepius soothed the ill with therapeutic measures such as baths, diet, exercise and divinely inspired surgery” - Steger

“ whether healing stories were real or not they all show near limitless faith in a gods power” graff

“ epidavros gave the sick the gift of hope and life” - garland

Oracles quotes

“ Delphic oracle claimed to guide individuals, city-states and colonies, and provide moral guidance” - fairbanks

“ Greeks had many explanations for why an oracle wasn’t fulfilled, all of which relied on the fault of the individual - there was a willingness to believe in the truth of prophecy” Harrison

Polis quote

“ polis did not regulate cults, the cults regulated themselves “ - naiden

Sacrifices quotes

“ sacrifice was killing for eating “ vernant

‘“Even the poorest would try to offer many deities some kind of sacrifice” - Hughes

“ sacrifice served to maintain and stabilise the relationships between mortals and gods” - Naiden

Parthenon scholar quote

“ The Parthenon is a visual symbol for Athens greatness and unity” - Emerson

olympia metopes scholar

“Olympia metopes- inspired athletes to honourable deeds” - barringer

Xenophanes facts

Xenophanes of Caleshene

C570- C478 BC

Travelled a lot

He writes for future generations (first to do so)

Denied that truth exists and distinguishes between true belief and knowledge

Concluded by looking at fossils that water must have covered the earth

Satirised traditional religion (Especially that described in Homer and Hesiod)

Present the idea of one god and not many and not like mortals at all

Xenophanes criticism is that the gods are too human and not moral, argues against homeric gods and the idea of them being anthromerphic.

Eg his reference to horses saying a horse would have a horse god, to explain origins. Says that a god must be different to homeric es alknowing very different to humans.

Xenophanes writes in similar metre to Homer

Homer and hesiod

Nature of Olympian gods - Homer and Hesiod

Anthro morphism - can be human

Hesiod writing factual stuff about the gods explaining their attributes hwo they became gods etc. very factual nature, therefore explains why Homer would not have to delve into Came before homer and therefore he develops the way they interact w people (antaco morphism)

Hero cults eg Heracles,

Can be a flawed hero but still worshipped.

Every hero has a flaw, making them more human eg Kleemedes

Medea - looked after, because she was viewed as foreign therefore not held to same standards as greek women.

Panathenaic anthora

ACROPOLIS DETAILS

The Acropolis itslef is the hill, the buildings have separate names. The whole city grows out from the Acropolis since it's a high point, it was previously a stronghold, there was lots of space, there were Mycenaean palaces up there and it was the centre of their history and mythology. During the Persian Wars it many of the religious buildings were destoryed. Athens kept the burnt buildings as a reminder that they can be defeated.

 

By the 5th century these buildings didn’t fit with what they wanted for Athens anymore. The new building programme was begun by Pericles and was based on the previous buildings that were destoryed. The buildings were scared to the goddess Athene.

The Parthenon is a Doric temple but it also had a continuous freeze. It contained a gold and ivory statue of Athene by Pheidias. The metopes included:

• North - The battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs

• East - Battle between the gods and the giants

• South - Trojan War

• West - Athene's battle with the Amazons

The East Pediment was the birth of Athene from the head of Zeus

The West Pediment shown the contest of Athene Vs Poseidon

The frieze (In the inner colonnade), depicted the Panathenaic Procession

The Erechtheion isn’t as big as the Parthenon but it is the more sacred building (with the Parthenon being more for show). It was at the edge of the Acropolis and was built over the tombs of Kekrops and Erechtheus (founding kings of Athens). It's built where Poseidon created the salt spring with a hole in the roof so that, if he feels like it, he can throw his spear again safely. It was built on two levels, high to the ear and lower to the west/north. This temple is Ionic, it currently doesn't have a frieze but likely did at some point in its history. There is a big olive tree beside it which is supposedly Athene's olive tree.

The Propylaia is the gateway building. There is a ramp up to the sanctuary. At the top of the ramp there are 4 steps (but the ramp continues for sacrificial animals). It was doric columns and a pediment but it was never finished in the way Pericles wanted. There were ionic columns that formed an inner porch. It was made to look like a temple to make it clear you were entering a sanctuary.

 

There was a small ionic temple for Athene Nike. You can enter it straight from the Propylaia. The statue of Athene Nike doesn’t has its wings, so it can't fly away from Athens.

Hero cults

Hero Cults:

Heroes can be worshipped as almost-gods. They are mortal and they can die, however they were the best at something in the mortal realm. Herakles and Achilles, for example, were seen as the best of the mortal world

• Achilles is the best fighter, he is technically mortal but has divine links, described as "god-like".

• Herakles also has divine links, has the power of strength

However heroes have obvious flaws, physical or mental, more so than the gods (since they are mortal). When heroes die, they sometimes go to Olympus (such as Herakles) or the underworld (Achilles). Either way they are worshipped for the things they did in their lifetime, similarly to Christian saints. However, unlike saints heroes were not 'all-good'. There were shrines and temples to these heroes, despite the fact some have done very bad things in their lifetime.

 

Cleomedes:

Cleomedes killed his opponent in the Olympics during his event named the Pankration (an event similar to boxing or wrestling), a normal occurrence however he was disqualified, for unknown reasons. In a fit he ripped off the roof of a school and killed 60 children. So why was he worshipped? Was it fear, strength, a cautionary tale, relatability? Similarly to Herakles, his flaws and bad deeds are overlooked by his strength.

panatheneia

	The Great Panathenaia
In Honour of	Athena
Events	Rhapsodic and Musical Contests, Boy's and Youth's Athletics, Men's Athletics, Equestrian Events, Tribal Contests, All-night Celebration, Procession and Sacrifice, Apobates and Boat Race and Prize-giving.
Organisation	Priests of Athena
Evidence	The frieze on the temple of Athena
Participation	Athenians and resident foreigners

June every year