Religion and Society Flashcards
1
Q
Household religion gods
A
Zeus hereios
Zeus Ktesios
Apollo Agyeios
The Hearth
The Herm
2
Q
Zeus Herkeios
A
protected the enclosed of the house
snake -> ward off evil
courtyard
Zeus of the fence
3
Q
Zeus Ktesios
A
protector of property and wealth
likely in storeroom
2 handled vase draped in white woollen ribbon
Health and good property
4
Q
Apollo Agyeios
A
protected from the outside main door to house
statuette
5
Q
The Hearth
A
Hestia (dedicated)
represents family themselves (home)
ceremonial
welcomed new family members
6
Q
The Herm
A
Hermes (dedicated)
outside
erect Phallus
protective symbol/halfway markers
7
Q
What did the Herm have?
A
the Herm has a phallus because it is a symbol of power and strength
-> society focused on men (patriarchal)
8
Q
Oikos
A
household religion takes place in the oikos
9
Q
Who was the head of house?
A
oldest male figure
-> religious authority lay with him
10
Q
What did the household gods reveal?
A
that families were concerned with evil (break-ins, stealing)
worried about safety in terms of household
11
Q
Different family duties
A
Father: most tend to cults and families therefore tombs - annual garlands and libation
Son: welcome father phratry
Women: no household duties
12
Q
Women in household
A
v. few political and legal rights (not even citizens in Athens)
-> exclusion from household religion = unexpected (assume tied to house)
13
Q
Religious participation for young girls
A
Women were responsible for rites after someone died
involved in civic and state cults rather than household cults
some women-only festivals (e.g Thesmophoria)
14
Q
Thesmophoria
A
once married women took part
Demeter and Kore
15
Q
Basket-bearer
A
basket-carrying sacrificial implements at occasions like Panathenaic festivals
16
Q
Brauronia
A
dress-up as bears
ritual required before a girl called mams
dress up @ festival of Artemis
17
Q
Grinder
A
ground meal for the cakes on Athena’s altar
18
Q
Aristophanus Lysistrata
A
talks about all the duties for girls
19
Q
Arrephoros
A
secret ritual performed in May
Two maidens ev. year chosen and carry basket from temple of Athena to Temple of Aphrodite and took something back
Basket had been given to them by Athena
associated with Athena Polias
20
Q
Deme religious participation
A
each deme had own set of religious festivals that differed
i’m sacred callander
21
Q
what is a deme?
A
village or distract which was the smallest political constituency in Athenian democratic system
Athens split
22
Q
How many days of sacrifices per year?
A
25 days (59 animals)
23
Q
What was deme religious participation like?
A
fun
24
Q
How was deme religion funded?
A
by wealthier demesmen
25
6 Apollos worshiped on individual demes
Apotropaios - averter of evil
Delphinios - of Delphi
Lykeios- of wolves
Nymphegetes - leader of the nymphs
Paion - healer
Pythios - Pythian (Delphi)
26
Deme and state worship
deme worship did not exclude people from state worship
local heroes were also worshipped
27
Rural demes
also worshipped gods related to livelihoods
(e.g Demeter)
28
Polis religion
created patriotism and civic pride
e.g Panathenaia festival
all-inclusive in order to honour gods and draw community together
29
How was polis religion funded?
paid for with state funds, organised by state officials and open to all citizens
city funded temples, sacrifices, festivals and dedications
30
What prayers were said during polis religions?
prayers for welfare of polis
31
Links of polis religion
link between polis religion and household religion (worship of Hestia and the hearth, polis set up just like in oikos) household religion = microcosm of polis religion
links with deme or local religious cults - EM performed at Eleusis deme but City Eleusinion built (inter grated into worship)
32
Panhellenic sanctuaries
Delphi - Pythian Apollo (Apollo who slew Pytho - mythical snake) => Pythian Games
Olympia - Olympian Zeus (Zeus of Olympus) => Olympic Games
Nema - Nemean Zeus (Zeus of Nemea) => Nemean Games
Isthmus - Isthmian Poseidon (Poseidon of the Isthmus) => Isthmian Games
33
What happened at these Panhellenic sanctuaries?
games held at each of these site (alternating annually)
34
Worship at deme, polis and Panhellenic
had to worship at all three levels (not mutually exclusive)
35
Politics and religion
difficult to distinguish between politics and religion - diff to determine who had religious authority (dealt with too many people) -> priests and priestesses had jurisdiction over specific cults
civic officials often supervised festivals
political figures = significant in these religious festivals
36
Priests and priestesses
served worship of gods and goddesses respectively (although some occasions where women served male god e.g female Pythia who served Apollo at Delphi)
their role and authority lay with overseeing rituals such as sacrifices, libations and prayers, as well as taking care of the sanctuary of the god to whom they were assigned (inc looking after cult statue, temple and other cult-buildings)
also responsible for finances of sanctuary and for safety of worshippers
37
Who decided priests wages?
state determined how much money priests got and performing jobs appropriately
38
Religious authority
difficult to distinguish religious authority from political or civic authorities
-> individuals who held a religious post or had a religious responsibility often also had them in other spheres of civic or domestic life
39
Religious authority in a domestic context
religious authority lay with the male head of the house (oldest)
40
Religious authority in Athens
lay with people (demos) but organised and supervised by range of personnel
priests = integral part (carry out rites to cults)
officials = supervise
civic magistrates = responsible for festivals
41
Civic officials and magistrates
had religious authority (religion, civic and political roles)
-> 3 archon in Athens had roles
42
3 Archon roles
Archon Basileus: main religious official of Athenian state (callander, rel mates, cults)
Eponymous archon : year was named after them and had authority over civic festivals (e. g City Dionysia in honour of Dionysus)
Polemarch (war archon) : in charge of cults relating to military affairs - Artemis Agrotera, Enyalios
43
Epimeletai
‘overseers’
individually appointed for particular festivals e.g Pananthenaia
(organiser had to pay but then paid for by state)
four appointed for the EM -> 2 from 2 priest families
44
Miasma
serious offence in Greek religion and society
-> considered dishonour and disrespect to the gods (individuals and even whole communities could be punished)
45
Ways to be considered polluted
1) Abortion, after giving birth, loss of foetus, when menstruating)
2) physically dirty
3) not honouring gods in right manner on right day
4) disrespecting ancestral laws of burial
5) disrespecting someone’s right to asylum
6) sex
7) attending a funeral or being in presence of dead body
8) murder
9) entering home of woman who just gave birth
46
How could you purify yourself?
Individuals could purity themselves by following specific rites according to how they became polluted
-dirty = wash
-presence of woman giving birth enter sanctuary for certain number of days
- it committed murder : not attend sacrifices, libations or contents in honour of gods, nor enter their sanctuary -> excluded from civic worship
l
47
Who upheld pollution rules
repsosnibitkycod polis to uphold standards
- 433 decrees published providing passing of public prosecution for those who ‘did not believe in the gods’
e.g Socrates
48
Link between politics and religion
significant overlap -> difficult to distinguish between
- cities had patron deities and heroes who protected them
49
Who did Athens honour?
Athens = in honour of Athena with temples and festivals in her honour
50
How were most political decisions made?
with religious consultation -> peace treaties sworn by oath to the gods (Zeus = god of oaths) and accompanied by libations or sacrifices
51
Sacred Truce
made by all Greek poleis during Olympics that saw and end to conflict sworn and guaranteed by Zeus
52
Consultation on military matters
when allies made war, the gods were consulted (in Herodotus)
e.g consulting Delphi in 480 with Athenians and Persians (‘wooden walls’)
political and military defusing were inextricable with religion
53
Divine consultations
therefore not merely a formality but vital for making decisions
-> before Battle of Plataea, Dlartans refused to advance without sacrificial omens in favour
54
How were military victories celebrated?
with the gods in mind (Athenians erected stoa at Delphi in thanks for advice)
Monument dedicated by Greek alliance in thanks
55
Political institution
e.g law courts)
were reliant upon religion
-> Athenian assembly began with sacrifice of piglet and blood splattered
56
Religious items
privaledged and dealt with at 1/2 of monthly meetings of assemblies after 350
57
Sacred flame
polis' sacred flame gaurded in centre of agore
58
Sacred flame
polis' sacred flame gaurded in centre of agore
59
Physical distinction
not always a physical distinction between sacred and profane
- temenos designated borders of sancturies
60
Political, economic and religious
political centre of cities also the religious and economic centre
61
Agora in Athens
civic political and economic centre
- council-house
- governmental seat
- stoa of Zeus Eleutius
- Prythaneion (where officals relating to gov. met)
62
Civic funds
Housed in treasuires and sacred buildings (The Parthenon in Athens)
63
Civic funds
Housed in treasuires and sacred buildings (The Parthenon in Athens)
64
Sparta
politics and religion were connected
- Kings considered to be gods as dual kingship believed to have derived from Zeus' twin sons. Alos, believed to be descendants of Heracles
- kings also comanders of army and should perform all sacrafices and consult oracles whenever
-political and military authority was therefore linked with religious positions
65
What is the Panathenaia?
included an elaborate procession and hetacomb
in honour of Athena, patron goddess of Athens
fesitval celebrated annually (Lesser Pananthenaia)
marked birthday of Athena Polias
ev. 4 years, the Great Panathenaia was held
66
Great Pananthenaia procession
included and started with procession (pompe) that gathered by the Dipylon Gate on the outskirts of the city
67
Pompeion
procession grew to be so big that a special
Popmpeion created
dates to 400 and measures 70 by 35 metres
-> size indicates how important and grand the procession was
68
Where did the procession start?
started at Dipylon Gate and processed through kerameikos (contained ancient cemetary) through agore and up Acropolis via Propylaia (eleborate gateway)
69
What was the road they walked on called?
Panathenaic Way
10m wide to accomodate large crowds, cavalry and a boat
70
Where could you also see the procession?
frieze on the Parthenon - first time a real-life event was shown on it (important)
showed climax of the festival (peplos)
range of participants shows unifying nature of the procession
so important in Athenian religious and civic life that it was was inspo for frieze of Parthenon
71
What was the peplos?
rectangular piece of clothing worn by women that was belted
Athena was always depicted in it
72
Why was the Peplos presented?
birthday gift for Athena
73
Eragstinai
wove the saffron dyed peplos every year and it depicted a scene of Athena's duel with Encelados
74
Where was the peplos put?
presented to goddess and drapped on olive-wood cult statue of Athena Polias that stood in east room of Erechetheion
second larger peplos made for GA which showed Athena and Zeus and used to sail on wooden ship
74
Where was the peplos put?
presented to goddess and drapped on olive-wood cult statue of Athena Polias that stood in east room of Erechetheion
second larger peplos made for GA which showed Athena and Zeus and used to sail on wooden ship- drapped across Athena Parthenon statue
75
What did the peplos symbolise?
city's thanks to the goddess for help and protection
76
Significance of the peplos?
uniffied Athens unlike anything else
focal point of celebration
77
sacrafices at Panathenaea
celebrated and honoured Athena
78
What did the distribution of meat reflect?
democratic nature of theAthenians
79
Who paid for the sacrafices?
directly by city or by imposing liturgy
80
Civic officials in the sacrafices
archons, sacraficial officials, generals, Athenains who participated in processions and maidens
- got meat on acropolis and dined in special room inside Pompeion
81
Where was the remaining meat distributed?
Kerameikos among men in demes
82
Civic decree on sacrafices
from 335/4 said that cattle brought with rent from land sacred to Athena were sacraficed on altar of Athena Nike (best parts)
83
Civic decree on sacrafices
from 335/4 said that cattle brought with rent from land sacred to Athena were sacraficed on altar of Athena Nike (best parts)
84
how often was meat eaten?
not part of Athenian diet
85
how often was meat eaten?
not part of Athenian diet
86
Contests
Equestrian contests (apobates)
Torch race
Phyric Dance and euakorion attributes of good and beauty attributed to gods
Athletic
Musical and rhapsodic
87
Athletic contests
boys and youths and then men
included events common at Panhellenic games
88
Musical and rhapsodic contests
before the procession and last 1-3 days
only during GP
rhapsodic - reciet Homer (shows his significance)
boys and men
prizes = v valuable (golden olive crown)
- shows off best in Athens
89
Panathenaic amphora
given as prize with olive oil (always had black-figure of Athena on it in full armour)
prizes varied bet. competitions
