Temples

The sanctuary was a holy area in a city or town with a temple and an altar, dedicated to a god. It was separated from the city with a wall.

What was the sanctuary?

They did not want their holy sites to be polluted, so they would wash their hands and feet.

Why did the sanctuary have a fresh water source at the entrance?

When someone has done something to make them impure in the eyes of the gods. e.g. coming into contact with a dead person or a newborn, or to have committed homicide.

What does it mean to be polluted?

It is a building dedicated to a god, and was used to house the god's cult statue. It was also seen as the house for the god when they took residence on earth.

What is a temple?

Only the priests were allowed in the temple, therefore most of the population would never set foot inside.

Who was allowed in the temple?

It was where the offerings and sacrifices to the gods took place. The sacrifice was the most important part of the god's worship and the whole city took part. It could happen without a temple as long as there was an altar.

What is the importance of an altar?

It was the base of the temple and provided steps whilst also increasing the sense of grandeur compared to the other buildings surrounding it.

What is the foundation plinth?

An open-aired covered walkway that surrounded the temple.

What is the colonnade?

The room that housed the cult statue.

What is the Cella/Naos?

The room that held all of the treasures and offerings to a god.

What is the opisthodomos?

The triangular space at either end of a temple. This could contain a sculpture or be left blank.

What is a pediment?

An unbroken strip of marble that goes all the way around the temple. It was a good way for a sculptor to tell a continuous story or to use many characters.

What is an ionic frieze?

A continuous strip of stone or marble, divided into small spaces called metopes. It was a good way for a sculptor tell several stories of several scenes from one story.

What is a doric frieze?

'One who sacrifices to a god'. Gods were attended to by priests. Goddesses were attended to by priestesses.

What are priests (hierus) and priestesses (hiereia)?

Being a priest was a temporary role that required no special training. Some would last for one festival, some for a year, whereas some could be for life.

How long did priesthoods last?

There would be hope for a Greek to become a priest to their local god at least once in their lifetime, to show commitment to their city.

What would a Greek citizen hope for?

To undertake and oversee the correct ritual at the correct time, and assisted in the upkeep of the temple. They were not expected to hold regular services.

What was a priest's role?

They read the entrails of animals or bird signs to predict the outcome of future events. They were so important that they made a reading before battle.

What was the manteis' (soothsayer's) job?

Augury was when you would read the flights of birds.

What is augury

It is an offering to the gods including money, songs and war booty. The most popular offering was the killing of an animal as a blood sacrifice.

What is a sacrifice?

The sacrifice in honour of a god of at least 100 bulls during large festivals.

What is a hecatomb?

1) The preparation

2) The kill

3) The sharing of the sacrifice

What are the three parts of a sacrifice?

The covering of a surface in a thin layer of gold.

In a sacrifice, an animal was prepared by gilding the horns. What is gilding?

It was carried in a basket full of barley grain. It was carried by a maiden.

Where was the sacrificial knife hidden?

Their music playing would reduce the chance of the animal being scared by the noise of the crowd.

In the sacrifice, what was the importance of the musicians?

The whole sacrifice would have to start again, as a frightened animal symbolised a negative sign from the gods.

What would happen if the animal that was meant to be sacrificed, became scared?

They would cleanse themselves with water, and then gather at the altar.

What would happen when the procession arrived at the sanctuary?

They would pour water onto the head of the animal, causing it to nod. This was important as the animal had to be seen 'agreeing' to the sacrifice.

How would they get the animal to agree in a sacrifice?

They would utter a prayer to the god(s) and the other participants would throw a handful of grain into the fire to confirm their participation.

What would the chief sacrificer do during the preparation of the sacrifice?

They would cut some of the animals hair and throw it into the fire. He would then cut the animal's throat.

What was the chief sacrificer's role in killing the animal?

If it was a large animal, the blood was collected in a bowl and poured over the altar. If it was a small animal then it would be held over the altar.

How did they pour the blood over the altar?

Women would let out a high pitched scream like they do at funerals.

How was the animal's passage from life to death marked?

The god would have a thigh bone wrapped in fat. This was burned at the altar while wine was poured on the fire.

What was the god's portion of the sacrifice?

First it was shared among the immediate participants, the rest was cut up and shared among the wider community, which was important as meat wasn't part if the Greek diet.

How was the sacrificed animal shared among the community?

The animal's skin was given to the sanctuary.

Where did the animal skin go after the sacrifice?

In 480 BC they burnt the city to the ground.

When did the Persians sack Athens?

It focused on the worship of Athena and the main temple for this was the Erechtheion which housed a small wooden statue of Athena.

What did the Acropolis focus on?

The Altar of Athena Polias where the sacrifices took place.

What stood outside the Erechtheion?

The Parthenon, its sculpture also honoured Athena through stories about the goddess.

What housed the city's treasures in Athens?

To show Athena's greatness and power.

Why did the Athenians decorate the Parthenon?

Athens and by the 450s the league had efficently become the Athenian Empire.

Who became the head of the Delian League?

To present Athens' power. Athens used the money and treasures to redecorate the city and the Acropolis.

Why did Pericles move the Delian League's treasure from Delos to Athens?

It became the location at the Athenian Empire's treasury.

What did the opishtodoms of the Parthenon become?

He was a lead architect in charge of the design and sculpture including the statue of Athena in the naos. Iktinos and Kaukrates were also two of the lead architects.

Who was Phidias and what was he in charge of?

Visitors would see a huge statue to Athena Promachos.

On entering the Acropolis, what would visitors see?

pro- to go before

machos- battle

In Greek, what does 'pro' mean and what does 'machos' mean?

Athena Promachos (to go before battle)

Athena Nike (victory)

Athena Parthenos (the virgin)

Athena Polias (of the city)

What are the different versions of Athena?

69.5 metres in length and 30.9 metres wide.

How big is the Parthenon?

Orientated from east to west.

Stood on a 3 stepped base.

Was surrounded by a colonnade.

Had a naos and opisthodomos.

The Parthenon has these.

What were the standards of a Greek temple?

540 feet in length.

The ionic frieze increased the grandeur by providing another surface for sculpture.

What was the length of the frieze around the Parthenon?

You can see on the birth of Athena. On the near pediment you can see the contest of land between Athena and Poseidon.

When entering the Parthenon, what do you see on the pediments?

The birthing and naming of Athena.

What is on the eastern pediment of the Parthenon?

13 metres- stood up right.

It was made in 438 BC by Phidias.

Made of ivory and gold.

How tall was the statue of Athena in the cella of the Parthenon?

On the middle was a likeliness of the sphinx. On either side are griffins in relief.

What was on the helmet of the cult statue of Athena?

A tunic reaching her feet.

On her breast is the head of Medusa in ivory.

Holds a statue of Victory and a spear.

There is a shield and a serpent at her feet.

What are the main features on the cult statue to Athena?

It was situated within the Sanctuary at Olympia called the Altis. It was built in 472 BC. The altar was one of the oldest structures in Olympia.

Where was the Temple of Zeus?

In 776 BC before the building of the Temple of Zeus. But the altar of Zeus was believed to have been there from at least that time.

When were the Olympic Games believed to be founded?

The ash left by sacrifices built up over time and by Pausanian's day (925 years after the Olympics was founded) the altar was 7 metres high.

Why was the altar at the Temple of Zeus 7 metres high?

It shows the relative importance of the altar and temple in Greek religion.

The altar was there 200 years before the Temple of Zeus was built, what does this show?

It was 64.1 metres in length and 27.7 metres wide.

What was the size of the temple of Zeus at Olympia?

The myth of Oenomaus and Pelops. Zeus was in the middle with them either side. The king's daughter Hippodamia and wife Sterope were next to him. There were horses and personifications of the rivers Kladeos and Alpheios.

What was on the eastern pediment at the Temple of Zeus?

The 12 labours of Heracles were sculpted onto 6 eastern and 6 western metopes.

What were on the metopes at the Temple of Zeus?

It depicts the centauromachy. It represents the victory of civilisation over barbarianism.

What was on the western pediment at the Temple of Zeus?

13 metres tall- sits on a throne.

It's made of gold and ivory.

It was designed by Phidias.

Built in 486 BC

How tall is the cult statue of Zeus in the Temple of Zeus?

He wears a garland with a copy of olive shoots. He has a Victory and a sceptre in his hands. He's also occupied by an eagle. His sandals and robe are gold. The rope it embroidered with animals and lily flowers

What are the main features on the cult statue of Zeus?

It helped maintain the ivory and would have created a shimmering reflection of the light.

Why was there a pool of olive oil in front of the statue of Zeus at Olympia?

Roman priests were not appointed to a specific temple.

What made Roman priests different to Greek priests?

'The peace of the gods'

This was done by uttering the correct prayers, completing sacrifices and having festivals. However, people could still kill and act poorly.

Define 'pax deorum'?

'I give so that you give'

So if the Romans did a sacrifice it was because they wanted something from the gods.

What does 'do ut des' mean?

Engaging in business and politics. As many politicians served as priests at some point.

What did Roman priests do in their spare time?

The Pontifices: there were 15

The Augurs

The Vestals: there were 6

What were the Roman priestly colleges?

Pontifex Maximus- they had lots of power.

Believed to be the mediator between man and god.

Who was the head of the Pontifices?

Protection of temples.

Regulation of burials.

Inheritance laws.

Supervision of the religious calendar l- which gave them power to decide what happened in Rome and when.

What was the role of the Pontifices?

'Taking the auspices'- reading the flights of birds. This took place before battle, marriage and a business transaction.

What were the Augur's jobs?

Taking bribes and interpreting signs in favour for political allies for personal gain.

What were the holders in Rome accused of?

They were a college of 6 female priestesses, the only female college in Rome. They were priestesses of Vesta. They lived in the house of the Vestals which was in the Roman Forum.

What were the Vestal Virgins?

Pontifex Maximus, he would choose an eligible girl between the ages of 6 and 10. She also needed to be fit and healthy with living parents.

Who selected a new Vestal Virgin?

30 years, they would have to take a vow of chastity.

How long would someone be a Vestal Virgin for?

Protecting the sacred flame. It was believed that if the flame went out, Rome would fall. They also made the mola salsa for sacrifices.

What was the Vestal Virgins most important role?

They were allowed front row seats at certain games. They could own property, make their own wills and vote.

How did the Romans honour the Vestal Virgins?

If the flame went out, they were whipped.

If they broke their vow of chastity, they were buried alive and the male responsible was whipped.

What punishments were given to the Vestal Virgins?

They read the entrails of sacrificed animals. They watched how the animal fell to the ground and examined the flames and smoke from the altar where the animal was burned. They would read the animal's liver after it was killed, they would look for abnormalities.

What did a Haruspex do?

A Pontifex would lead for a state sacrifice.

A private citizen would lead for smaller sacrifices.

However, all participants would have to make sure they're clean.

In Rome, who led the ceremony for a sacrifice?

The priest would sprinkle mola salsa on its head. They would then pray to the gods, offering the animal.

What happened to the animal before it was sacrificed?

The Popa struck the animal on its head to stun it. The Cultrarius would slit the animal's throat.

What did the Popa and Cultrarius do?

The God's had their share, then the priests ate the meat, followed by the senate and elite citizens and then the community. In a private sacrifice only the participants got the meat.

How was the sacrifice shared in Rome?

It had wrongly been attributed Fortuna Virilis (meaning manly fortune). It was correctly associated with Portunus, god of harbours. It was constructed between 120-80 BC.

Why did the Temple of Portunus (Fortuna Virilis) have 2 names?

It was in the Forum Boarium, between the Palatine and Aventine Hills. It stands near to the Tiber in an area that was a harbour. It stands next to a temple of Hercules.

Where was the Temple of Portunus?

The Etruscans and Greeks. The Etruscans influenced the podium and steps. The Greeks influenced the porch and semi- engaged podiums.

Where did the Romans get their inspiration for the Temple of Portunus?

It was commissioned by Augustus and built by his general Marcus Agrippa between 27-25 BC. It was burnt down in 80 BC and was rebuilt around 125 AD by Emperor Hadrian.

When was the original Pantheon built and who commisioned it?

It means all gods as it was believed to be dedicated to all the gods. It was decorated by the statues of many gods.

What does Pantheon mean?

It was in the Roman Campus Martius, Field of Mars. It was a large open space, when the army met before campaigns, elections took place and where general exercise would happen.

Where was the Pantheon?

A round building or room, especially one with a dome.

Define 'rotunda'

A round or eye- like design or opening, in particular; a circular window.

Define 'oculus'

M(arcus) Agrippia L(ucii) f(ilius) co(n)s(ul) tertium femur.

Marcus Agrippia, son of Lucius built this when consul for the third time.

What does M.AGRIPPA.L.F.COS.TERTIVM.FECIT mean?