religion and society Flashcards
Household religion: What does Oikos mean
Household
Household religion: Who was head of the household
the oldest man
Household religion: who would the head of the household make daily offerings to
- Zeus Ktesios
- Zeus Herkeios
- Apollo Agyeios
Household religion: what was the son welcomed into
his fathers Phratry
Role of women: who were they priestesses for
female goddesses
Role of women: some examples of important women
- Pythia at Delphi
- Priestess of Hera in Argos
- priestess of Athene polias
Role of women: Participation in cults
- there were a number of women only cults e.g. the Thesmophoria
- Maenads/worshippers of Dionysus
- also played a part in the Elusynian mysteries
Role of women: Mid wives
- Birth in Greek world was perceived as a ritual requiring female priestess to ensure ritual was done right
- Had to be above childbearing years
Role of women: Tending the corpse and grave
- women principle actors in rituals concerning disposal and care of the dead
- ritually bathed and dressed the corpse
Deme religion: how did they differ
each deme had its own set of religious festivals and beliefs
Deme religion: how would rural demes differ from city demes
rural demes are more likely to honour gods relevant to then e.g. Demeter
Polis religion: who funded it
the state with state funds
Polis religion: what were prayers and worship directed to
the welfare of the polis as a whole
Polis religion: what did it have links to
many similarities between polis and deme religion
Panhellenic religion: What were the 4 main Panhellenic sites
- Delphi
- Olympia
- Nemea
- Isthmus
Religious Authority: what was it similar to
political, civic and religious authority all very similar and hard to separate
Religious Authority: who was important
- Priests
- officials who supervised performance of rites
- magistrates who organised festivals
Priests and priestesses: who did Priests serve
male gods
Priests and priestesses: who did Priestesses serve
female gods
Priests and priestesses: what was their role
- to oversee rituals
- responsible for the finances of the sanctuary’s
- looked after the cult statue
Priests and priestesses: how much did they get paid
state would determine how much money there was for them
Archons: what was an archon
an athenian magistrate
Priests and priestesses: Archon Basileus
- Main religious official of the Athenian state
- Responsibility over religious calendar
- Judicial authority over religious matters
- Responsible for all sacrifices that involved ancestral cults
Priests and priestesses: Eponymous Archon
- The archon after whom the year was named
- Had authority over civic festivals
