Greek Culture and SocietyTerm II, Lecture 7

Greek Religion

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Religion and worship

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4Athens, theatre of Dionysus, seat of the priest of Dionysus

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What was a Greek sanctuary?

Sanctuary of Poseidon, Cape Sunion, Attica

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Main features of a Greek sanctuary

• Location• Altar• Temenos• Priest• Calendar

8Altar of the Temple of Apollo, Gortyn, Crete

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Temenos of the sanctuary of Zeus, Dodona

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Everyday Rituals

• Home hearth is sacred to Hestia• Everything hunted is sacred to Artemis• Everything farmed is sacred to Demeter• All sea-going activities are sacred to

Poseidon• All weather phenomena are sacred to Zeus• Travelling and trading is sacred to Hermes• Metal-working is sacred to Hephaistos• Wool-working and household work are

sacred to Athena

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Hestia, the most gentle and charitable of divinities, guardian of the oikos

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Ephaistos, the god blacksmith

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Thundering Zeus

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Greek Calendars

• Each polis had its own calendar• The calendar was a calendar of

festivals and sacrifices

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cos

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Sacred Calendar from KosMonth A: Batromeios• ?: An ox from the

Chiliastes to Hestia Hetaireia

• ?: Annual Festival to Zeus Polieus. Sacrifice of ox.

• 10th: A pig and a kid to Dionysos Scyllites

• 20th: An ox to Zeus Polieus

• 20th: A pregnant sheep to Athena Polias

• 21st: A pig and a kid to Dionysos Scyllites

• 23rd: A sheep and a pregnant ewe to Demeter

• 24th: A pig and a kid to Dionysos Scyllites

Month B: Karneios• ?: A pregnant ewe to

Rhea• 10th: A heifer to Argive

Royal Hera of the Marshes

• 11th: A pig to Zeus Machaneus

• 12th: 3 sheep, an ox, ½ medimnos of barley and wine to Zeus Machaneus

• 12th: Heifer/sheep to Athena Machanis

Month C: Pedageitnion• 21st: 3 sheep to the

Heroes• 28th: A lamb to Herakles• 28th: An ox to HeraklesMonth D: Unknown• 17th: A sheep to Delian

Apollo• 17th: An ewe to Leto• 19th: A goat to the Graces• 20th: A sheep and an ewe

to Apollo Karneios and Artemis

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The Panathenaic Procession• It is generally accepted that the Parthenon

Frieze portrays the Processions at the festival of the Great Panathenaia that was celebrated every four years in Athens

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Athens, the Parthenon

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Panathenaic Processiona proposed order

• Four little girls carrying a peplos for the life-size statue of Athena Polias

• Priestesses of Athena and Athenian women carrying gifts • Sacrificial animals (cows and sheep) • Metics (resident aliens), wearing purple robes and carrying

on trays cakes and honeycombs for offerings • Musicians playing the aulos and the kithara. • A colossal peplos (for Athena Parthenos) hung on the mast

of a ship on wheels • Old men carrying olive branches• Four-horse chariots with a charioteer and fully armed man

(apobatês) • Craftswomen (ergastinai - weavers of peplos) • Infantry and cavalry • Victors in the games • Ordinary Athenians arranged by deme

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Arrephoroi

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Sacrificial animals (cows and sheep)

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Musicians playing the aulos and the kithara

23Old men carrying olive branches

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Metics (resident aliens), wearing purple robes and carrying on trays cakes and honeycombs for offerings

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Craftswomen (ergastinai - weavers of peplos)

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Infantry and cavalry (who is missing?)

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The Acropolis seen from the Panathenaic stadium

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Eleusis

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Demeter and Triptolemus

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Herma: Square or rectangular pillar of stone, terracotta, or bronze; a bust of Hermes' head, usually with a beard, sat on the top of the pillar, and male genitals adorned the base.

415: The Hermae affair

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The Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi

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The Pythia

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Athenian Thesauron

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Theatre of Apollo, Delphi• The cult of excellence:music competition

• Hymn to Apollo• Flute and kithara• Acting and drama• Painting

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Stadium, Delphi• Held in August, every four

years• Lasted 6-8 days• 1. “Holy games”:

showcase of Apollo’s victory over Python

• 2. Procession and sacrifice• 3. Musical competition• 4. Sport competition

The archaic aristocracies of Attica

Necropolises of Menidhi/Acharnae and Thoricus

The Mycenaean tombs of Thorikos

The Mycenaean tombs of Thorikos

The Mycenaean tombs of Thorikos

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The cup of Nestor

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Athens, monument of the eponymous heroes