lesson 4- Religious authority Flashcards
before the 8th century, who was Greece ruled by?
a single monarch
during the 8th century, how did Greek rule transition?
Before the 8th century BC, Greek was ruled panhellenically by a single monarch, however, during the 8th century, city states were formed and a single monarch ruled each city state- we see this through the king Theseus
what did king theseus do?
He was believed to be the founder of the Greek city state of Attica (athens)- during the 8th century, he united the local towns in the Athenian peninsula (the areas around Athens) and united them into a singular city state (polis) named Attica which he had complete control over
what were Athenian monarchs such as Theseus known as?
‘Eupatridai’ meaning ‘the sons of noble men’
what happened during the 8th-7th centuries?
The Athenian monarchy transitioned into oligarchy rule- meaning that rather than the Athenian city state being ruled by a single monarch such as Theseus, it was ruled by three aristocrats known as the archons
what were the names of the three archons?
- Archon Basileus
- Polemarch archon
- Eponymous archon
who was the archon basileus?
An Aristocrat of the Athenian city state which had responsibility for all religious matters in Athens such as religious rites and festivals
what were the roles of the archon basileus?
- be in charge of the sacrificial calendar
- be in charge of all religious aspects e.g conflicts concerning priests and impiety
- be in charge of sacrifices in the Athenian state and organising them
who was the polemarch archon?
An Aristocrat in the Athenian city state in charge of all military affairs such as wars and campaigns
what were the roles of the polemarch archon?
- in charge of cults related to military affairs such as Artemis Agrotera who would be worshipped on the battlefield
who was the eponymous archon?
An Aristocrat in the Athenian city state in charge of general administration and who functioned as the chief magistrate for Athens ( hearing cases that affect the community). He could also have control over civic festivals such as the festival of Dionysia in honour of the god Dionysus
who was the male head of the household (oikos)?
The oldest male member in the oikos
what were the roles of a male head in the oikos?
- tend to the family tombs once a year by pouring libations consisting of milk, wine, water or honey in honour of them
- tend to the family tombs in appearance
- perform sacrifices to Zeus Ktesios (Zeus, protector of prosperity and wealth) in the storeroom
- introduce their sons to their phratry (brotherhood) within a year of their birth during a 3 day long festival in honour of Zeus Phratrios
who was a priest?
a male who served in worship of the gods and usually came from a family of priests- they usually acted as a mouth piece between gods and mortals as they could speak to the god themselves
what were the roles of a priest?
- carried out rites sacred to their respective cults. Such as libations and prayers and maintaining temples
