ANCIENT GREEK RELIGON

HISTORY AND SPREAD OF RELIGION.

• The religion lasted from 8000 BCE to 480 BCE.
• There was not a sacred text because then religion was kept alive through oral tradition from generation to generation.
• There was not a sacred text because then religion was kept alive through oral tradition from generation to generation; and with priests who incorporated new citizens into the religion.
• They did not go to temples to learn about their religion. For the Greeks, they incorporated the worship of the gods into their daily life.

LOCATION

• All of the events of Ancient Greek religion happened within the entire Ancient Greek empire and the Mediterranean Sea.

Ancient Greek religion was Polytheistic. The Ancient Greeks worshipped twelve gods known as the Olympians. They are, Zeus god of the sky, Poseidon god of the sea, Hades, god of the underworld, Hestia goddess of the hearth, Demeter goddess of spring, Hera goddess of motherhood and family, Athena goddess of wisdom, Artemis goddess of the hunt, Apollo god of music and prophecy, Ares god of war, Hephaestus god of crafting, Aphrodite goddess of beauty, and Hermes god of travelers and thieves.

OLYMPUS

• This is where the gods lived.
• They come once every year to discuss major events.
• This is also where the greatest heroes become gods after death.

HOW MORTALS WERE CREATED

• Helios and Prometheus created men out of clay.
• After that Hephaestus, encouraged by Zeus, created women.
• The Olympians were delighted by the humans and more and more of them taught them little tricks, such as weaving, flirting, and how to farm.

WORSHIP OF GODS.

• Religious practices were carried out in altars outside of temples.
• The most common religious practices were sacrifices and pouring of libations, all happening during the prayer in honor of the gods.
• The animals being sacrificed were always either pigs, sheep, goats, or cows, and were always the same gender as the god being worshipped.
• The meat was either burnt or completely cooked. Part was offered to the god and the rest was eaten by the followers.

FESTIVALS.

• Anthesteria-festival of Dionysus and the new wine. Once a year at temple of Dionysus.
• Apaturia-festival of phratry brotherhood.
• Dionysia-dramatic festival of Dionysus. Once a year at temple of Dionysus.
• Eleusina-festival of games at Eleusis.
• Pyanepsia-bean feast.
• Thargelia-festival of Apollo and the new harvest. Once a year at temple of Apollo.
• Thesmophoria-festival of Demeter celebrated by women. Once a year at temple of Demeter.

BURIAL RITUALS

• The burial was split up into three phases, the prothesis, the ekphora, and the interment of the body.
• The prothesis was the laying out of the body.
• The ekphora was the funeral procession.
• During the interment of the body the remains were put into the grave.

THE AFTERLIFE.

• The Ancient Greeks believed that when you die, Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld, takes their dead across the river Styx to the Underworld.
• Here the judges of the Underworld decided which part of the Underworld you would be sent to.
• You were sent to Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel, the Fields of Punishment, or Tartarus.

Elysium was the part of the Underworld for heroes. There you could party in eternal paradise forever.
The Fields of Asphodel were where the average everyday people were sent. The farmers, the cooks, and the peasants were sent here. You are forever going to stand around and slowly fade away.
The Fields of Punishment were reserved for people who did evil during their lives and are forced to experience eternal punishments for their crimes.
Tartarus is not only a deity but the name of a place even lower than the Underworld where the evil monsters, Titans, and Giants are imprisoned. All of the Olympians sworn enemies were imprisoned in Tartarus.

WORKS CITED

• http://www.religionfacts.com/greek-religion/holidays
• http://www.ancient.eu
• http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm
• www.nationalgeographic.com/books