Greek Religion OCR A Level Classical Civilisation

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

12 Olympian Gods

Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, Hephaestus, either Hestia or Dionysus. Believed to live on Mount Olympus.

Other major deities

Hades- not Olympian because he lives in the underworld. Persephone sometimes included due to her role in Eleusinian mysteries.

Homer

8th/7th century BC, Epic poet credited with writing down the Iliad and the Odyssey

Hesiod

c. 700 BC, Epic poet who composed Works and Days (tells farmers how to live a good life) and Theogony (god's origins and family tree)

Homeric Hymns

Hymns written in the style of Homer (not actually Homer) to the gods

Aetiology

Cause or reason for something

Panathenaic Amphora prescribed source

333-332BC, black figure, three athletes running on the back. Given as a prize for the Panathenaic games. Shows her large figure (head going up the neck), active goddess, poised, armed.

Athena's birth in Homeric Hymns quote

"It was craft-filled Zeus who gave birth / From his sacred head to her already in armour of war... / Quickly she leapt from his deathless head to stand / Before Zeus who bears the aigis."

Works and Days wine quote

"Never pour gleaming wine to Zeus in the morning with unwashed hands, or to the other immortals, for then they pay no heed, and spit out your prayers."

Athena's deceit of Hector in the Iliad quote

"Oh for sure now the gods have called me to my death! I thought the hero Deiphobos was with me: but he is inside the wall, and Athene has tricked me. So now vile death is close on me, not far now any longer, and there is no escape."

Anthropomorphism

Human characteristics- they appear similar to humans both physically and emotionally (they have different whims and grudges), but they are also distinctly not human in various ways such as size, power and immortality

Euripides' Bacchae Dionysus quote

"I have exchanged my mortal form for a divine one."

Poseidon's interests vs Athena's in the Odyssey

Poseidon hates Odysseus because he attacked his son so causes a storm at sea to attack him, but Athena protects Odysseus because she is his patron

Works and Days Zeus' power quote

"For easily he makes strong, and easily he oppresses the strong, easily he diminishes the conspicuous one and magnifies the inconspicuous, and easily he makes the crooked straight and withers the proud -- Zeus who thunders on high, who dwells in the highest mountains... There is no way to evade the purpose of Zeus."

Iliad Gods' immortality quote

"The lord god's immortal hair streamed forward from his deathless head, and he shook the heights of Olympus."

Euripides' Hippolytus immortality quote

"It is not lawful for me to look upon the dead or defile my sight with the last breath of the dying."

Death in Greek Tragedy

There is only one character who dies on stage out of the 32 surviving Greek Tragedies (Sophocles' Ajax) because theatre was sacred to Dionysus -- he should not be tarnished with death

Do ut des

Latin phrase meaning "I give so that you may give"

Works and Days how to honour the gods quote

"Appease the immortal gods with libations and burnt offerings, both when you go to bed and when the holy light returns, so that they may have a gracious heart and spirit towards you, and you may buy other men's land and not have someone else buy yours"

Votive offerings

a dedication to a god by an individual as part of a vow made between mortal and deity

Modern scholar Jon Mikalson quote

The relationship was that of honour rather than love, like the honour that "a subject owes his king"

Works and Days Zeus giving justice quote

"If a man is willing to say what he knows to be just, wide-seeing Zeus gives prosperity... For those who occupy themselves with violence and wickedness and brutal deeds, Kronos' son, wide-seeing Zeus, marks out retribution..."

Epithet

an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality/characteristic of the person or thing mentioned

Agora

the marketplace in ancient Greece

Phratry

"brotherhood," male kinship group in Athens

Some of Zeus' epithets

Agoraios, of the agora; Phatrios, of the phratry; Philios, household and individual wellbeing; Herkeios, of the fence/courtyard: meaning protector of families

Oracle

a person or agency thought to be a source of knowledge or advice via prophectic power derived from the gods; people would often ask which god to pray to

Heroisation

the process by which a living person becomes a hero/is made a hero

Hero cults

Worshipped heroes. Hero defined as a person who lived and died in either myth or real life, so there is a distinction between gods and heroes. Heroes had to achieve something unusual in their lifetime.

Heracles

A widespread and popular hero who is the exception to the rule as he was worshipped as both a hero and god. Asclepius also has similar worship.

Panhellenic

all Greeks

Demeter and Kore

The story of Demeter and Persephone of which multiple things are based around, such as the Thesmophoria

Eleusinian Mysteries

Mystery cult based around Demeter and Kore that it was looked down upon and even became illegal to tell the secrets of

Mystery cult

Secret initiation, you can't tell the secret

Epopteia

Revelation of the secret at the end of the Eleusinian Mysteries

Rules of the Eleusinian Mysteries

1. Anyone could join, man/woman, free/slave, etc you just have to know how to speak Greek and not have done a serious crime like murder.

2. Pay a contribution to be initiated

3. You can't tell the secrets ESPECIALLY the revelation part

Alcibiades

Athenian leader accused of mocking the secrets with the uninitiated and he was punished with the death penalty

Homeric Hymn to Demeter

Source for Eleusis; "share" of something special after death, "awe of the gods prevents any speaking out"

Christian sources

Such as Tertullian, they mocked and defamed the mysteries to differentiate themselves from "pagan" beliefs and also because Eleusis promised similar things to Christianity

Aristophanes' Frogs

Humorous approach, they are singing etc happily in the underworld even though the underworld is usually depicted negatively

Telesterion

Hall of initiation for mystery religion in the Sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis, building at site dates back to 900BC, no windows, dimly lit, rock cut stands

Ninnion Tablet

Depiction of the cult of Eleusis, from left to right: initiates led by the god Iacchus are approaching the seated Demeter and Persephone

Lesser Mysteries

Took part in spring, preparatory event for the Great Mysteries

Mystagogue

already initiated person who is also able to initiate others

Myst

in the process/wishing to be initiated

Archon Basileus

Most important government official for all things sacred in Athens

Kykeon

Special brew said to have had psychotropic effects

Hierophant

Leading priest at Eleusinian Mysteries, always from Eumolpidae family

Great Mysteries

Day 1- assemble in Agora

Day 2- bathe in sea including animal sacrifice in the sea as purification

3 day rest

Day 5- start 15 mile journey to Eleusis

After they would be initiated at Eleusis, drink kykeon, focus on personal revelation, final is the viewing of the epoptai

Asclepius in Homer (Iliad)

Human physician instructed by Chiron who heals the most wounded Greeks

Other Asclepius versions

Son of Apollo and varying mortal woman

Athenian Plague

Around 420BC, they erected an Asclepion afterwards

Thucydides

Historian, source of information about the Athenian plague

Asclepion

Healing temple dedicated to Asclepius

Epidaurus

Location of the an important Asclepion where pilgrims would go from all over Greece to be healed, leaving inscriptions as thanks

Cos

Location of the Asclepion which was a famous school for physicians

Prescribed source for Asclepius

1st century AD; Votive of a leg thanking Asclepius and Hygeia, island of Melos, by someone called Tyche

Incubation

Sleeping in the shrines of Asclepius

Visit to Asclepion

Bathe, incubation, dream of the god is interpreted by priest or cured instantly, physicians give treatment based on what priest said if necessary

Snakes

Kept in the Asclepion, supposedly having healing abilities

Miracle proved diety

Votives thanking Asclepius for medical miracles legitimising the cult

Oropos

Asclepion with temple, theatre, bath buildings and a fountain house

Dodona

The ancient oracle of Zeus, where messages were supposedly delivered by a sacred oak, either leaves rustling or doves in the tree (according to Homer, Odyssey and Herodotus and Hesiod fragments)

Lead tablet

The questions were carved into these, often yes or no questions or which god should I pray to

Polis

Ancient Greek city-state

Kyrios

Male head of house- did most of household religion

Oikos

Household/family

Zeus Ktesios

Protector of property and wealth. Household god represented with vase filled with seeds, water, oil in the storeroom

Zeus Herkeios

Protected the fence/outside enclosure of the house. A statue stood in the courtyard to ward off evil

Apollo Agyeios

Protected the house at the main door, represented by either a statuette, a small pillar or a statue of Heracles

The Hearth

Central hearth of each household dedicated to Hestia. New members of the family (babies, brides, slaves) welcomed by walking around the fire showered with dried fruit and nuts

The Herm

Rectangular pillar with Hermes' head at the top and a phallus lower on the pillar, halfway marker on roads and protective symbol outside house

Offerings to the dead

Kyrios offers garlands and libations of milk and honey at the family tombs once a year

Apatouris

3 day festival where son is welcomed into his father's phratry

Aristophanes Lysistrata role of women

Lysistrata was an Arrephoros, Grinder, at Brauron, a basket-bearer as a child. Role of women in religion seems to be mostly outside the home

Arrephoros

Secret ritual to Athena Polias where they take a basket of items they didn't know from the temple of Athena to the sanctuary of Aphrodite and brought something back

Brauronia

Girls would dress up as bears at the festival of Artemis at Brauron (nearby to Athens)

Thesmophoria

Women-only festival to Demeter and Kore

Rites of the dead

Women expected to tend to the body and do the proper rites when someone died

Erchia sacrifice calendar

A deme of Athens, Erchia, had a sacrifice calendar with 25 sacrifices a year, 6 of which were various epithets of Apollo. 2000-3000 residents

Proerosia

Pre-ploughing festival, Erchia, as it was a countryside deme would celebrate festivals like this in honour of Demeter.

Prytaneion

State dining room in the agora, contained a polis hearth as a reflection of the home hearth

Eleusinion

Athenian building to correspond to Eleusis, on the slopes of the Acropolis

Main panhellenic sanctuaries

Delphi, Pythian Apollo; Olympia, Olympian Zeus; Nemea, Nemean Poseidon; Isthmus, Isthmian Poseidon

Priests and Priestesses

Carry out rites related to their cult such as libations and taking care of the sanctuary, often served a god of their own gender but there are exceptions such as the Pythia

Archon

Athenian magistrate

Archon basileus

Main religious official of the Athenian state

Scapegoat ritual

Household servants representing evils such as famine or disease are driven out while the archon basileus shouts "out with Famine and in with Wealth and Health" (or the kyrios on a smaller scale household setting)

Eponymous archon

Gave his name to the year; had authority over civic festivals

City Dionysia

The Greek civic festival in honor of the god Dionysus where dramatic competitions took place including premieres of Aristophanes' and Euripides' works

Polemarch/war archon

In charge of cults related to military affairs such as Artemis Agrotera who they made sacrifices to on the battlefield

Epimeletai

Overseers of religious festivals such as the Eleusinian mysteries

Miasma

Religious impiety or pollution which causes disease

How you can get miasma

Giving birth, miscarriage; Entering the house of a woman who just gave birth; Physically dirty; Not honouring the gods properly; Disrespecting burial laws; Disrespecting right to asylum; Sex; Attending a funeral, near a dead body; Murder

How to purify

Dirty: sprinkle water

Birth: not enter sanctuary for a few days

Murder: can't attend worship until go through purification

Plutarch impiety law source

In 433 a law was passed to publicly prosecute "those who did not believe in the gods"

Herodotus Pythia Lydia consultation source

Croesus, king of Lydia, asked the Pythia if he should wage war against the Persians

Pythia wooden walls

Themistocles interpreted the Pythia's advice to trust the wooden walls as boats and won the battle against the Persians in 480

Herodotus Spartans omens source

Pausanias and his Spartans refused to advance attacking the Persians until the sacrificial omens were favourable