Greek Soc: LEcture 13 (FINAL)

Organized religion

State Cult (supports sociopolitical order)— Tutelary Deities (often goddesses): Athena at Athens; Hera at Argos &   Samos; Athena & Artemis in Sparta Pantheon

  1) Personas established by myth/literature

  2) Actual worship was of local divinities like Athena Polias

(often goddesses): Athena at Athens; Hera at Argos &   Samos; Athena & Artemis in Sparta Pantheon

  1) Personas established by myth/literature

  2) Actual worship was of local divinities like Athena Polias

State cults in ancient Greece functioned as a primary mechanism for reinforcing sociopolitical order, often centering on tutelary goddesses who acted as patrons and guardians of the polis (city-state). These cults blended mythological personas with localized, functional worship that maintained civic cohesion

State Cult (supports sociopolitical order)— priests supplied by

elite families; later chosen more politically, but tradition still very strong

Cults of goddesses often have priestesses: Nike;   Demeter (Athens).

Leading priestesses have great moral authority.

  1) Fertility cults often exclusively female like those of Demeter:  women’s cults: Thesmophoria ; Adonaia

• Held in honor of Demeter and her daughter Persephone, this was one of the oldest, most widespread, and most significant festivals in the Greek world.

• Adonia (Adonaia): A festival focused on the short-lived consort of Aphrodite, Adoni

Animal sacrifice, primary religious act;

altars at   sanctuaries sacred dining; communal to a lesser or greater extent, in public or in a leschē).

       1) Dinner important for community building, circulation of wealth

       2) Payments to cults are an early form of taxation

• an ancient Greek communal space for conversation, lounging, or council, often serving as a public gathering place, particularly in winter for warmth. These small buildings, porticoes, or "club-rooms" were common in Greek cities, including specialized locations at Delphi and Spartan, for social, political, or philosophical discussio

Temples house statues dedications

which come from   work,  spoils, first fruits, vows; gifts

  1) Procession are inversions, with inner things are made public.

Cycle of Worship

Cycle of Worship

1) Round of observances, legally mandated; carefully stage-managed   

2) Sacred calendars (Dillon #3.12); order naturally grounded: Deme   calendars; e.g., Nikomakhos State Calendar at Athens

3) Panhellenic Festivals (Olympia/Elis; Pythia/Delphi;   Isthmia/Corinth; Nemea/Argos:   athletic activities; poetic, musical     competition in agonistic order (annual and quadrennial =   penteteric cycle.

  4) Local festivals: Panathenaia (Dillon #3.29); Artemis Orthia: Sparta

Hero Cult

Hero cult (cf. infernal deities): cf. funerary cult:  

  1) Usually from specific sites; but pervasive and evolutionary

• Hero cults were frequently founded upon the belief that the hero’s sôma (corpse) was present at a specific tomb (heroon), making the site a source of power, protection, or fertility for the local community.

  2)  Special role of Herakles

• : Herakles was uniquely worshipped both as a hero and as an Olympian god, sometimes within the same festival or at the same site, such as at Thasos, where he received sacrifices on both high and low altars.

Oracles endorse public decision-making; carefully managed

A.  Delphi premier: its role in colonization

   1) Also Dodona, Branchidai (Miletos); Zeus-Ammon in Lydia

• Delphi was essential in Greek expansion, with the oracle expected to authorize the foundation of new colonies (e.g., Cyrene).

• Other Major Oracles:

  • Dodona: Located in Epirus, it was the oldest oracle of Zeus, using the rustling leaves of a sacred oak, sortilege, and, later, priestesses to deliver prophecies.

  • Branchidai (Miletos): An important oracle of Apollo located near Miletus in Asia Minor, known for its significant political influence in the Ionian region.

  • Zeus-Ammon in Lydia (Siwa): While geographically in Libya (Siwa Oasis), this oracle was heavily consulted by Greeks, including Lydian king Croesus and later Alexander the Great, with Pindar even dedicating a statue the

B.  Divination during sacrifice (state sponsored) by seers (manteis):

     1)  Many informal seers; holy men; some claiming political relevance: Epimenides, Bakis; repeated incarnations (Peisistratos); repeated interventions of Epimenides

• Beyond stationary oracles, Greek states managed risk through divination during sacrifices (manteis) to read omens (hepatoscopy). [1]

• Professional seers were hired to interpret signs during state sacrifices or military campaigns, holding high status as part of the elite.

• Informal Seers/Holy Men: Often existed outside the formal state structure but wielded significant political influence.

  • [Epimenides of Crete: A semi-legendary "holy man" invited to Athens in the 6th century BCE for purification, who, according to traditions, intervened with political and religious advice to restore order.

  • Bakis: Known for collecting and disseminating ancient prophecies (Chresmoi), which often influenced popular decision-making during crises.

• [Peisistratos (Tyrant of Athens): Frequently used omens and oracles to justify his political rise and power, demonstrating how "repeated interventions" of oracular, or "prophecy-related" events, were used to legitimize tyranny

More on Panhellenic, regional, or ethnic sanctuaries:

A. Olympic Games ; Olympic Truce; anolympiads (Pheidon); 4th-century war (Elis & Arkadians) battle in sanctuary.

B.  Delphi: Four Sacred wars over Delphi; political of the oracle in colonization,       Spartan policy toward Athens (Cleomenes); toward Persian resistance

C.  Cycle of penteteric games; later extension of status to other sanctuaries &     festivals

        1) Efforts to Protect the sanctity of main sanctuaries

           2) Sacred Embassies (theōria/theōroi):

D. Other Sanctuaries: Healing cult of Asklepios at Epidauros & elsewhere

Personal religion 

A. Mystery Cults: Eleusis preeminent

• The oldest and most revered mystery cult, based in Eleusis near Athens, centered on the myth of Demeter searching for her daughter Persephone.

• Initiation: It was a two-stage process—Lesser Mysteries (spring) for purification, and Greater Mysteries (autumn) involving a procession from Athens to Eleusis, fasting, and a secret final revelation in the Telesterion.

• Promise: Participants were promised a blessed afterlife, shifting focus from mere civic piety to personal salvation.

• Ritual Elements: Included drinking kykeon (barley/water), reenacting the myth, and secret rituals.

    B. Women's Cults1.​11   

        1. Dionysiac cult (role of women): Initiatory  

• Initiatory rites dedicated to Dionysus involved ecstatic, sometimes frenzied rituals (often in the countryside) aimed at breaking social boundaries.

        2. Thesmophoria, exclusively for women 

• Exclusively for women, this was a, annual festival honoring Demeter (as Thesmophoros) to promote fertility. It was a closely guarded secret; men were generally excluded under penalty of death

     D. Personal sects, with sacred writings; lifestyle regulations:

         1) Orphic cults. 

• Based on hymns and poems attributed to Orpheus, these focused on the soul’s purification and release from the cycle of reincarnation. They enforced strict lifestyle regulations, including asceticism (often refusing to eat meat) and adherence to esoteric teachings about the afterlife.

         2) Pythagorean "Movement"

• A philosophical and religious movement, the Pythagoreans followed a specific "way of life" (bios) based on the teachings of Pythagoras. It involved strict rules on diet (abstinence from beans), community living, mathematical study, and a belief in the transmigration of souls