Ancient World Flashcards by Stefany Lornce

Isis

Goddess of fertility - Egyptian goddess - took on other functions - became universal goddess

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Acted as an intermediary between humanity and divine realm

Oracle

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What did Greek priestesses do

Kept temples groomed- led prayers- took part in sacrifices

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Cult

System of religious veneration and devotion to a specific person or object

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Roman dieties

Jupiter; Juno; Venus; Minerva; Neptune; dianna

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Ishtar

Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and war

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Religions of antiquity disappeared when and why

400 CE - Christian sermon deemed antiquity as mother of all evils - reflected western beliefs of one not several gods
-

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Minor gods

Staff - do unpleasant tasks for more overfill dieties - agents of calamity and punishmebt

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Plutarch

Greek - served as magistrate and ambassador to Mediterranean islands - senior priest at Apollo

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Netherworld

Afterworld; underworld of the dead

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How did groups employ understand the term religion

Communities sought to ensure support of the gods by adhering to ancestral customs - focus on community not individual

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Anthropomorphism

Attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a God animal or object

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Theogoney

How gods came into being

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Tripartite structure of the cosmos

The divine - theogony
Organization of the universe - heaven earth
Netherworld

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Omens

Divine messages understood as warnings

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Serena

Christian entered temple of manga matis took necklace placed on her own neck - seen as transfer of religious symbols - never heard from again

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Zeus

Greek supreme god protector and ruler of human life

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Physical representations of gods exemplified

Human ideals of beauty grace power

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Most enduring omen

Astrology

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Secondary gods

Supporting roles act as judges to humans or as counsellor to sovereign god

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Apotropiac

Having the power to avert evil influences or bad luck

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Osiris

God originally connected with fertility - influenced understanding of divine judgement in Judaism and Christianity

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Greek dieties

Zeus; Hera;Aphrodite; Athena; Poseidon

Oracle

To speak - relates to gods answers to questions; the places where they were delivered; or people through whom the god spoke

Necroplis

Cemetery large belong to an ancient city

Supreme gods

Supreme power associated with forces of nature; rulers

What offices did Sumerian women hold

High priestly office

Theology

Nature of the gods

Asclepius

God of heating son of apollo

Cosmology

How the world organized

What contains messages from the gods

Anything - stars storms smoke water sacrificed animals

Enigma Elish

Mesopotamian creation epic

Pyramid texts

Utterances carved in walls of royal burial sites

Types of gods

Supreme secondary minor

Identities of zeus

Olympis the supreme god; stratios leader of armies

Tiamat

Female monster - represented primeval chaos and disorder

Divination

Interpreting fubpnction where one read between the lines noticing unusual phenomena; recognize anomalies and finding significance in them

Stela

Stone slab with commemorative inscription or design - gravestone

Predictive omens

Omens that could be solicited - if the oil sinks in water

Types of natural phenomena used to read messages from the divine realm

Observations of natural phenomena; movements of stars; unusual births; thunder; cloudless day

Antiquity in west refers to the time period of

Late 4th millennium bce to middle of first millennium ce

General trends when comparing religions of antiquity

No founding figure Many dieties Fewer canonical texts Common ethical imperatives

Religions of antiquity placed a great deal of emphasis on

Rituals

These were common in rituals re antiquity

Sacrifices

The primary mechanism of communication with the divine realm in antiquity

Ritual

Earliest gods linked to

``` Nature Sun Moon Sky Water ```

Great dieties had power to

Influence human activities | Could dispense justice

Secondary dieties could

Act as messengers for the greater gods | Sometimes doing unpleasant tasks

Many ancient religions had concept of divine light. This demonstrates what

The potential positive and negative power of the gods because light can be brilliant and blinding

Examples of female dieties

Isis - Egypt - possesses great power | Demeter - Greek - fertility of the earth and associated with agriculture and motherhood

A person could demonstrate piety by

Clothing feeding dieties Giving dieties gifts Obeying their wishes All done thru ritual

Sacrifice was one of the most important aspects of ritual practice in the

Ancient near east | Mediterranean

Sacrifice ritual can be understood as

A transformative act where a regular object into a sacred object that is offered as a gift to the divine

Sacrificial objects included

Food Beverages Animal ( rules were attached to this)

Vestal virgins Rome ensured

Sacred fire never went out Guarded Roman storehouse Prepared sacred objects for public sacrifice

Common themes of legal or ethical codes

Responsibility Compassion Justice