Women and religion

What is a priestess ? ( Greece )

Heireai

Who did priestesses usually worship ?( Greece )

Mostly female goddesses except for Dionysus and Apollo

How could you become a priestess ?( Greece )

* by election
* inheritance form parents
* winning a lottery
* buying the position

What did a priestess do ?( Greece )

* mainly and administrative role
* looked after the temple and sanctuary
* supervised washing and clothing the stute
* lead sacrifices and some festivals

How long are you a priestess for ?( Greece )

it is a part time job and only donwe for a year

What did they wear ?( Greece )

a special headband and white and purple - pure and royal colours

How important would being a priestess be to a woman ? ( Greece )

Very important as it is the only way women can take part in public life - and gave them a role in decision making over the temple and religious laws

What would you receive by being a priestess ? ( Greece )

* You would be paid and didn’t have to pay taxes
* you might get parts of animals from sacrifices ( which can be sold for high prices )
* got front seats at the theatre /games
* received a public burial which was a honour
* some could even own property an pass it on (make a will)
* Dates marked with their names and inscribed on building

What is a libation ? ( Greece )

a liquid offering

What could be sacrificed ? ( Greece )

* animals
* little figurines
* objects
* food
* pour out libations

What were the most important sacrifices ?( Greece )

Animals

What could a priestess do at a sacrifice ?( Greece )

They could lead it

What would happen at a sacrifice ? ( Greece )

* prayed
* killed the animal
* prayed again
* ordered the assistants to cook and carve the meet
* eat the meat

Who would inspect the organ after a sacrifice ? And what would they do ? ( Greece )

A mantis to see if the gods accepted the sacrifice

What did a mantis do ? ( Greece )

* decide if a god accepted an offering
* read omens in the movements of birds and weather patterns
* gave vague prophecies so were never technically wrong
* could advise politicians and leaders

Could anyone be a mantis ? ( Greece )

Yes as long as you said you were in touch with the gods

Who is the most important mantis in greece ? ( Greece )

The pythia

Where was the pythia located ? ( Greece )

Delphi

Why was the Pythia the most reliable oracle ? ( Greece )

Apollo is the god of prophecy so her prophecy’s are the best

Why is the pythia the most powerful woman in greece ? ( Greece )

She would give prophecies to people and people would come from all over the world so she can influence things

What did the Pythia often give advice about ? ( Greece )

How to clear yourself of religious pollution

Who other than the pythia is present ? ( Greece )

2 male priests and assistants

How long were you a pythia for ? ( Greece )

it was a job for life

What couldn’t you do as the pythia ? ( Greece )

have sex

When did the Pythia answer questions ? ( Greece )

7th day of the 9 warmest months as Apollo is god of the sun

How did the pythia give a prophecy ? ( Greece )

* bathed in the castalian spring
* wore a garland of bay leaves
* sat on a tripod
* went in a druggy trance
* whilst giving a prophecy held a laurel leaf and a bowl of water
* mumbled and it was written down by a priest as poetry

Where did the pythia sit in the temple ? ( Greece )

The Adyton

Who could ask the Pythia a question ? ( Greece )

Only men but women could ask through men

What did you have to do before asking the Pythia ? ( Greece )

* bathe in the Castilian spring
* sacrifice an animal

What is a cult ? ( Greece )

A group dedicated to one god with special rituals and festivals

What is a public cult ?( Greece )

For main gods you could just worship or be a priest

What is a mystery cult ? ( Greece )

for less popular gods with a big focus on death and the afterlife

How did religion link to being a kyria ?( Greece )

Being part of a cult was seen as part of being a good kyria - it was also an opportunity to get out of the house and to socialise with other women

What was the yearly festival to honour Athenas birthday in july ? ( Greece )

The Panathenaia and every 4 years the great panathenaia

Who participated in The panathenaia yearly and who participated every 4 years ? ( Greece )

The yearly one was only for people in athens and lasted 4 days but the large one was huge with people from other cities coming to participate

Because its in honour of a goddess there are many ways women can participate

How long was the Great Panathenaia ? ( Greece )

8 days

What happened during the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )Wh

There were religious events and competition ( but only for men )

What happened on day 1 of the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )

Reciting poems and music competitions

shows how clever they are

What happened on day 2 of the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )

Boys athletics competition

What happened on day 3 of the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )

Mens athletics competition

What happened on day 4 of the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )

Equestrian competition

What happened on day 5 of the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )

Sailing and dance competitions ( Athenians only )

Male beauty competition ( the Euandrion )

What happened on day 6 of the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )

All night race , pannychis , procession with the peplos to the acropolis and sacrifice

What happened on day 7 of the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )

Chariot and boat races

What happened on day 8 of the great panathenaia ? ( Greece )

prize giving

Who set up the loom to weave the peplos ? ( Greece )

4 Arrephoroi - noble virgins

Who wove the peplos for a year and lived at the acropolis ? ( Greece )

Ergastinai

What did priestesses do all night after day 6 ? ( Greece )

sang songs to athena

What is the thesmophoria ? ( Greece )

A festival just for married women held in the autumn time for demeter

What story is the thesmophoria based off of ? ( Greece )

Demeters daughter persephone being abducted by hades

What do they do before the festival ? ( Greece )

* piglets sacrificed and buried in pits to rot

( symbolises Persephone going into the underworld )

What happens to the piglets buried before the thesmophoria ? ( Greece )

* special women dig them up but had to spend 3 days purifying themselves beforehand
* piglet remains mixed with corn to make cakes and put on Demeter’s alter
* these cakes were later mixed with seeds and scattered over fields to help fertility

What happens on the andos ? ( Greece )

They set up huts to camp near the pynx ( symbolises women taking over )

2 leaders are elected

What happens on the nestia ? ( Greece )

* fast for the day
* sit on the ground on seats made of plants ( like mourning to symbolise demeters grief )

What happens on the kalligeneia ? ( Greece )

* pray for blessings of fertility


* have a big celebration
* tell rude jokes

What was dionysus the god of ? ( Greece )

Wine, theatre and madness

What were dionysus’ female followers called ? ( Greece )

Maenads

What did dionysus’ followers try to reach ? ( Greece )

exstasis

What did they do to worship dionysus ? ( Greece )

* went into the countryside to get drunk and high to reach exstasis
* possibly could become violent and end in sparagmos
* and maybe did omophagia

What did the maenads wear ? ( Greece )

* lepoard skins
* thyrsus
* fawn skins
* bull helmet

Who were responsible for the body in a funeral ? ( Greece )

women aged 60 + who were direct relatives

What did they do on the 1st day of the funeral ? ( Greece )

* wash the body
* anointed it with perfumed oils
* wrapped it in a white shroud
* put on a flower garland and put a coin in its mouth to pay charon

What did they do on the 2nd day of the funeral ? ( Greece )

* family and friends visit the body
* female relatives wearing dark robes stand around the body in ritual mourning
* they cut hair short tore clother beat breasts scratch cheeks dirty themselves with ashes and sing funeral dirges

What did they do on the 3rd day of the funeral ? ( Greece )

ekphora - funeral procession before dawn from dead persons house to the burial site accompanied by family female mourners and musicians

What are people buried with ? ( Greece )

meaningful belongings and unmarried girls buried in wedding clothes

What offerings are given to the dead ? ( Greece )

1st - choai (libation) & haimacouria ( lock of hair w/ honey milk water and olis )

2nd - enagismata ( milk honey water wine and fruit

3rd -

What do they do after a burial ? ( Greece )

* women return home whilst men put up the stele over the grave
* they prepare the feast - perideipnon
* they all feast using meat from sacrafice

What days do you visit the tomb afterwards to decorate and give offerings ? ( Greece )

* 3rd
* 9th
* 13th
* 30th

Who usually worshipped each god ? ( Rome )

mainly men were priests even for goddesses very few priestesses

Who could lead sacrafices ? ( Rome )

only men

What were colleges ? ( Rome )

groups of male priests in charge of a different area of religious life

What was the relationship between politics and religion ?( Rome )

* politicians competed to be elected for the most important preisthoods as it gave them power and influence
* This was why there was a lack of women in these roles

Who were the vestal virgins ? ( Rome )

college of women devoted to vesta (hestia)

How many vestal virgins are there ? ( Rome )

6

What was the only full time religious role in rome ? ( Rome )

Being a vestal virgin

What happened when they needed to choose a new vestal virgin ? ( Rome )

* they would choose 20 candidates
* the candidates were between 6-10 they had to have living parents and no physical defects
* they were not eligible if their sister was a vestal or their father was a flamen
* the pontifex maximus then chose one girls by drawing straws

What do vestal virgins wear ? ( Rome )

wore clothes similar to a bride or matrona

* stola
* bride hair & white veil
* red and white ribbons to symbolise vows of fire and chastity

What is the name of the ceremony in which the chosen vestal was immediately lead away by the pontifex maximus to the temple of vesta ? ( Rome )

Captio

What happens after a vestal is chosen ? ( Rome )

she is no longer part of her family and is no longer under her paterfamillias’ control

What is the most important job of a vestal ? ( Rome )

to keep the sacred fire burning if it stops rome will fall

What are other jobs of the vestal virgins other than the fire ? ( Rome )

* attended religious festivals and sacrifices
* baked mola salsa for sacrifices and offerings
* helped worship bona dea and vesta
* gave fire to homeowners for shrines

What did they have to make a vow of ? ( Rome )

chastity

Did the fire ever go out ? ( Rome )

yes once a year they put it out and cleaned and purified the temple and then re-lit the fire

How long did vestal virgins serve for ? ( Rome )

30 years but did not return to the control of their paterfamillias

What did vestal virgins do after they have served ? ( Rome )

* They could own property and write willss
* They could marry and it would be a great honour for the husband
* many chose to carry on living in the house of the vestal virgins
* they had VIP seats at shows and festivals
* could free prisoners by touching them

What happened if they let the fire out ? ( Rome )

They were beaten by the pontifex maximus in a dark room

What happened is a vestal was unchaste ? ( Rome )

* they were walled into a cave with a small amount of food and water so they aren’t technically killing her

Who were the Flamines ? ( Rome )

A college of 15 priests each for a different god / goddess

Who was the Flamen Dials ? ( Rome )

Chief priest of Jupiter

Who is the Flaminica Dialis ? ( Rome )

The wife of the Flamen Dialis who automatically becomes a priestess

What are the requirements to be a Flaminica DIalis ? ( Rome )

* Virgin before marriage
* Married via confarreatio
* must be patrician
* not allowed to divorce ( would upset Jupiter )

What happened if one of the Dialis’ died ?

The other would resign

What would the Flaminica Dialis wear ? ( Rome )

* wore red/orange veil
* pomegranate wreath
* purple robes
* wore a ceremonial cloak for husband

What duties did the Flaminica have ? ( Rome )

* She sacrificed a ram to Jupiter every 8th day on market day
* Went to certain festivals w/ husband
* had to avoid religious pollution

What was pudicitia ? ( Rome )

Modesty

Who had the most effective prayers and sacrifices answered by the gods ? ( Rome )

Rome believed chaste women were the most effective and would be used in times of rome’s crisis

Who was Patricia Pudicitia ? ( Rome )

Goddess of modesty

What was the cult of Patricia Pudicitia like ? ( Rome )

* idealised women staying home
* only open to patrician women
* Only univara did sacrifices
* had public influence

Who created plebia pudicitia ? And why ? ( Rome )

Verginia as she was a partician who married a rich plebian so could not join patricia pudicitia so created plebia pudicitia to worship out of her house that she coverted into a temple

* it was the same as the other one

Who was Bona Dea ? ( Rome )

A goddess worshipped by women associated with fertility, womanhood and fertility