Religion, death and burial Flashcards
Gods and goddesses: Artemis Orthia - Extreamilly importent connection to the gods.
Artemis Orthia:
* Popular cult of Artemis Orthia was primary concerned with growth and fertility, which leads to empowering women independence and strengh.
-> Popularity evident through archaeolgical evidence sanctury of Artemis Orthia where thousands of voting offerings such as clay vessels in which would be given by pregnant or successful birth mother.
* Xenophon 4th centruy highlights theft of cheese practice, which involves the whipping of children inorder to demand excellence from children in all branches.
-> This was a “matter of honour” and would create a “blood-bond” between Spartitiates and gods.
Gods and goddesses: Apollo - Extreamilly importent connection to the gods.
Apollo: Prophercies creator of Delphic oracle
* Appearence: Often depicted youthful and with bow and arrow.
* Throne of Apollo located at Amyclae
* Sparta would go to Delphic oracle for decisions, Kings could nominate two Pythria.
* Festivials of Hyakinthia, Apellai and Karnei alll asoociated with cults to Apollo.
-> Karnei resticted Leonidas to only send 300 of his body guard to Thermopylae.
Gods and goddesses: establishment of societal militristic idenity: - Extreamilly importent connection to the gods.
Establishment of societal militristic idenity:
* Whilst the Athenians revered the god Hephaestus (craftsmaen and artisitans) , evident in Athenian architecture whereas Spartaties prohibition of crafts saw him less honoured.
* Simiarly, Spartan abstemiouness saw Dionysis (god of wine) who was associated with drunken celbration wasn’t deemed approrotate figure of worship.
-> Whilst Greece had a cult of Dionysis evdient in Macedon Olympus.
* Gods often appeared with weaponary such as Apollo holding a spear and a bow.
Myths and Lengends
Lycurgus:
Features and characteristic:
* Spartan didn’t write their own history therefore Modern historians belived Lycurgus was invented by Greek writers.
-> Due to other Greeks states such as Athens having lawgiver such as Solomn.
* Herodotus stated he was a “man dear to Zeus”, linking him to the gods, reinforced by his trip the Delphic oralce.
-> connects Spartan politcal organisation to the gods as a justification for its success, leading to others not to question its oligarchical nature and dual kinship.
* Creation of the Great Rhetra which created unique culutral and displiince in order to facilitate eunomia.
Myths and Lengends
The Dioscuri - Castor and Pollux
(local legends)
Features and characteristics:
* Patrons of athletic contests.
-> Connection to Spartan importence of athletic purisuts and the strict training associated with the agoge.
* Belived to be sons of Zeus and mortal wife Leda.
-> Connects duel kingship and links Sparta heritditary kings to Zeus (the king of the gods) + justification to Greek culture and ideas.
* Transformed into the constellation of Gemini by Zeus.
-> Explains the surrounding atmosphere, primary reasons for the creation of gods.
Festivials Hyakinthia - Second most important
Dedication to Apollo
Performed at Amyclae at the hilltop of sanucatary of Apollo.
-> Due to Hyakinthos (Apollo lover) being killed by Apollo while playing discus.
* Celebreated in the month of Hyakinthia (summer) for three days
Day 1: Mourning and sacerfices of Hyakinthos
* Honouring those who died in service to the state.
-> Women in the act of childbrith
-> Men in wars.
* Ban on eating breads and cakes, only a special funeral meal was allowed
* No singing of the paean (a joyful song)
Day 2: Celebreation of Apollo and rebirth
* Athenian (foregineer) dramatistis Aristophane in his play Lysistrata portrays spartiaites entertaining helot spectuators through dances and songs.
* Chariot races and chiors of boys were also present.
* Festival meal was taken
Day 3: Little is known
Festivals Gymnaopaedia ‘festivial of naked boys’ - The least important
Dedication to Apollo
Held annually over a 5 day period in July:
* Honouring those who died in the battle of Thyrea (against rivals Argos)
-> Reinforces the importance of dying for ones state
-> Thanking of Apollo for their military victories.
Main features:
* Performance by troops of men and boys reflecting militarisitic spirit of the festival.
-> Anapale (Wresting dance)
-> Embaterion (quick-step march) - marching song
Festivial ended with a parade led by the Ephors
-> ASK WHY THIS IS THE CASE
Festivals Karneia - The most important
Held in Karneios (August) and lasted for nine days:
* Belived to be a harvest festival.
* Dedication to Apollo Karneios (horned god) who was a mixture of Apollo (prophecy) and a Dorian god Karneious (fertility god).
-> evident in coinage of Apollo Karneiois.
* Would prohbit them from particpating in battles
-> Battle of Marathon 490BC
-> Would limit Leondias to only 300 troops at Thermoplyae 480BC
Features of the Karneia:
* Ritual of runner wearing a garland of wool on his head trying to evade capture.
-> If captured = good omen
-> Not caught = bad omen
* Sacerfice of a ram -> Apollo favoruite animal to be sacerficed.
* A raft procession to symbolise the return of the sons of Herakles
* Athletic compition and games.
-> military games = military idenity + closely associated with the agoge.
-> Sochial cohesions = reinforces governmental system.
Religious role of kings
Makes all public sacrifices on behalf of the city (Xenephon)
-> “Priest towards the gods” Aristotle
Herodotus accounts:
* Responsible for the safekeeping of the oracles
-> Each king nominated two pythoi (officals) whose duties entailed visits to the Delphic oracle
Were chief priests of Zeus Lacedaemon and Zeus Ouranious
-> An epithets which connections the traits of Zeus to the kings of Sparta.
* They made sacerfcies to Apollo on the 1st and 7th day on each month.
* Had unlimited rights of sacerfices while on campaign.
Funeral customs and rituals
General populace
Little is known regarding funery rites excpet for kings:
* Marked pit graves according to Cartledge:
-> Women who died in childbrith had inscribed monuments.
-> Men killed in battle buried on the battlefield, wrapped in their red cloak and buried with olive leaves.
* Unmarked graves for the rest of the population
Funeral customs and rituals
Kings
Lycurgus removed the supersition surrounding graves leading to them being in placed within the city accoridng toPlutach life of Lycurgus.
-> The grave of Leonidias
Herodotus accounts:
* Riders goes around the country annoucing the death of a king.
* While women beat caldrons around the capital to announce a funeral.
* One women and man from each household dressed in mourning.
-> under the threat of a hefty fine.
* Wailing and head beating from amassed crowd of Spartiates, periokoi and helots.
-> Mass declaration that he was the best king they have ever had.
* After the funeral there was no public meeting or elections for 10 days while the populace mourned.
If a king died in battle:
* A staute of him was erected
* An effiy of him would be carried on a drapped bar.
When a new king came to power:
All debts from the previous king were remitted
