Week 7: Cosmology and Sacred Times & Spaces Flashcards
In Ancient Egypt, each city made its favourite God the ______________
Creator God
True or False: All Creator Gods in Egypt were male.
TRUE
True or False: Each Ancient Egyptian city has it’s own creation story.
TRUE
What is the Mesopotamian creation story?
- Marduk kills the monster Tiamat, and makes the world out of her limbs
What is the Syro-Canaanite creation story?
- Humanity created through the battle between Baal and Yamm/Sea or Baal vs. Mot/Death
What is the Hittite creation story?
- Kumarbi overhtrows his father, Anu
- Then, Teshub overthrows his father Kumarbi
- Teshub then battles Ullikummi (giant stone monster)
What is the Greek creation story?
- Kronos overthrows his father Ouranos
- Zeus overthrows his father Kronos
- Zeus then battles the Titans
Why do the Zoroastrians not have a creation myth like the others?
- They believe that Ahura-Mazda and Ahriman have been in perpetual struggle since the very beggining
- This tells us that Good AND Evil are necessary components to the universe
After the ______ century BC, Gods begin to be more cosmological, and thus, less anthropomorphic.
6th Century BC
What are two main examples of non-anthropomorphic worship earlier on?
- Jews: Wisdom or Spirit IS the incarnation of the deity
- Stoics: The universe IS the deity
What did advances in observational astronomy cause in terms of the number and nature of the heavens?
- 7 planets now visible: This means 7 different heavens one can ascend to
- Astral immortality for enlightened souls (stars)
What are the 5 ages of Hesiod’s human decline?
- Gold
- Silver
- Bronze
- Heroic
- Iron
What was the Etruscan view on the end of time?
- They believed that history was divided into 10 saeculas
- After the 10th saecula is over, history will end
Which of his 5 ages did Hesiod believe to be the worst to exist in?
Iron Age
What is a saecula?
- A period of time/age in Etruscan terms (roughly a human’s life 100-110 yrs)
- Etruscans believed there were 10 saeculas in time
In Zoroastrianism, the created universe would last for _______ years.
9000 years
(1200 years divided into 4 periods of 3000 years)(The first 3 thousand years predates the created universe)
The Zoroastirans believed that Ahura Mazda and Ahriman had existed for ___________ years before humans came in.
3000 years
How will the universe end in Zoroastrian theology?
With a cataclysmic showdown between Ahura Mazda and Ahriman after the 90000 years is up.
In later Judaism, human history is limited to ___ generations.
10 generations
How many milleniums did early Christians believe humans had to exist? When was the final millenium?
6 milleniums of human existance, early christians believed they were living in the final 6th
What is eschatology?
- The theory of what happens after the end of all things and what is the ultimate goal of history
What is the eschatology of late Judaism?
- The reestablishement of the Dynasty of David and the overthrow of all rival powers (i.e Greeks rulers)
What is the Zoroastrian eschatology?
- Trials and Tribulations
- A saviour at the end the last 3 millennia
- Immortality for those who survive
- Resurrection for those who die
- All will restart again in a cycle
Why do the Greeks not have a defined eschatology?
- Because they believe that though nature can be destroyed, the world is ultimately indestructible
Why did Romans not have a defined eschatology?
- Because they believed that the Roman Empire would never end
What is the Greco-Roman Stoic eschatology?
- A Great Cosmic Fire to purify the cosmos
- Possibly, followed by a restart of the universe
What are the 2 ways in which we map rituals?
- Linear (a journey from birth to death) ex. baptism, communion, confirmation, mariage, last rites)
- Cyclical (Yearly things, like birthdays)
What were the 2 types of spaces that sacntuaries were placed at?
- Liminal places (Borders, city gates, etc.)
- Numinous places (Mountain tops, sites of epiphanes, etc.)(Places that inexplicabely feel special)
How did the Mesopotamians mythologize their sanctuary/temple sites?
- Each city made it so their patron god journeyed to a specific santuary or temple from another, wether inside or outside city limits
What is the Duku in Ancient Mesopotamia?
- The primordial mound of the universe
Ziggurats are meant to be representations of the _______
Duku (Primordial Mound)
Generally, in Ancient Egypt, which cities in particular had the most sacred status?
- Whichever city currently with the most power
Why is Egypt so sacred according to myth?
- Set murdered Osiris and scattered the 42 pieces of his body, 1 for each nomes (region) of Egypt
- Isis then has to pick up every piece and reconstruct Osiris again
Which 3 Egyptian cities were considered to be especially sacred?
- Heliopolis
- Thebes
- Memphis
What were the Khoyak Rites in Ancient Egypt?
- A procession of priests would bring the 42 jars containing each a piece of Osiris’ fragmented body on a procession along the Nile
- This symbolized the sacred integrity of Egypt as a whole
True or False: In Ancient Egypt, citizenship was city based, not national.
TRUE
The basic layout of the Egyptian temple was thought to have been invented by ___________
The Creator God (Ptah)
Where did deities live in Ancient Egypt?
In their temples
Describe the layout of Ancient Egyptian temples:
- Many doorways
- Each doorway marked an entrance into a new zone within the temple
- The closer the zone is to the interior, the more sacred it is (because the god resides in the interior)
What were Ugarits?
3 Deities forming a family
- A Syro-Canaanite thing, later adopted by the Greeks and Romans
In Anatolia, what, typically, marked the entrance into a sacntuary?
A stone stelae
What were the most sacred spots in Iran?
Fire Temples
Whose temple structure did the Romans adopt theirs from?
The Etruscans
What was notable about Etruscan temples?
Frontal access only
When did the day begin in Mesopotamia?
Nightfall
Typically, how many months were there in Mesopotamia?
12 (sometimes they added one)
What schedule did Mesopotamian festivals follow?
The Agricultural Year
In Mesopotamia, how were local deities celebrated during New Years?
In a procession through the city
The Egyptians first adopted the 356 day/year solar calendar in the ___ millenium BC.
3rd
What were the 3 seasons in Ancient Egypt?
- Inundation
- Emergence
- Heat
What was the first festival of the year in Egypt?
Wepet Renpet
(New Years Day)
What festival commemorated the sacred
connection between the pharaoh and his holy father Amun-Re?
Festival of Opet
What is the new format for festivals in Greco-Roman Egypt?
- An Iconographic procession
- BBQ
- Sailing down the Nile
True or False: Roman military victories are celebrated religiously in the Egyptian calendar
TRUE
What accompanied religious sacrifices in Greco-Roman EGYPT?
Mythological reeanactments
Which festival was celebrated every 7 years in Syria Canaan?
Zukru
Dedicated to Yam
What was the name for the Isrealite autumn festival?
Booths (Sukkot)
- Families dine together in Sukkats
- Celebrated for 7 days
- People must go on pilgramage to Jerusalem
True or False: The very entirety of space time was sacred in ancient Iran
TRUE
Daily liturgies by priests in Iran typically lasted:
2.5 hours a day
What was the name for the New Year festival in Iran?
Nawruz
True or False: In Etruria, each city had its own seperate schedule of festivals.
TRUE
When does the year begin in ancient Athens?
Late August
How does the month begin in ancient Greece?
With the sighting of a new moon
In Ancient Greece, festivals tend to be in the ___________ of the month.
First half of the month
True or False: In Ancient Greece, no city state had identical calendars.
TRUE
When did the day begin in Ancient Greece?
at sunset
Define Temenos
A sanctuary (etymologically meaning “Cut off”)
Define Horoi
Boundaries to the sactuary
Where could a Greek sanctuary be placed?
Pretty much anywhere
What are fasti days in Rome?
- Days open for normal human action
What are nefasti days in Rome?
- Days NOT open for normal human action, but rather, festivals for the Gods
What were the Feriae?
Roman festival days during which the gods were honoured and all business, (especially lawsuits) was suspended
In which Roman festival did naked young men whip women to make certain of their fertility?
Lupercalia
In Rome, who marked off spaces for sacred use?
Augurs
What is the name for a Roman sacred
space that must be consecrated
as such by an augur?
Tempulum
(Latin term referring to a sacred sanctuary or shrine that was consecrated by a member of the priesthood for religious purposes.)
What was a pomeranium?
A religious boundary around the city of Rome and cities controlled by Rome.
What was not allowed past a pomeranium?
Armed soldiers
True or False: There is no real word for sin in Greek or Roman.
TRUE
In Ancient Egypt, what were the 2 forms of evil?
- Iwwit: Disorder
- Isfet: Chaos
In Later Egypt, what becomes the blanket word for all sin?
bwt (isfet)
In ancient Egypt, where is physical purity focused?
The Mouth
In Egypt, physical purity can be attained through: (3)
- Ablutions of water
- Ablutions of Incense
- Natron salt
What is sin in Syria Canaan?
Transgressions against the gods
What is the primary objective of purity institutions in Syria-Canaan?
- To protect against defilement of a deities sacred space
True or False: In Syria Canaan, it is ok to sin, for you can build your way back up.
TRUE
How are communal impurities removed in ancient Israel?
Scapegoating
Who is Azazel?
A demon charged with a new job; that of bearing evil and sins
What causes impurity in Israel?
cultic defilement AND by immoral activities
How is purification attained in Israel?
Purification by sprinkling water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer
True or False: In Anatolia, it is the action of murder, NOT the blood itself that defiles you.
TRUE
True or False: In Anatolia, Menstruation DOES NOT count as a sin.
TRUE
Was childbirth a polluting activity in ancient Anatolia?
Pregnancy and childbirth were polluting activities for the mother that required sequestration, purifying and apotropaic rituals for mother and baby before they can re-enter the community
Describe the polluting nature of spitting in Anatolia?
- The act of spitting purifies the body, BUT the spit itself is polluting (whatever the spit lands on is tainted)
In Greece, pollution is directly related to :
The spilling of blood in murder
How was pollution cleansed in Greece?
- Community cleansing
What causes pollution in Rome?
- Any problems with the Pax Deorum
When things went wrong in Ancient Rome, it was often attributed to:
An error or oversight in a ritual (even a priest stuttering)
What was the solution to an error in a ritual in Rome?
Just redo it (sometimes a whole festival)
In Rome, a notion of collective guilt resulting on the misdeeds of an individual first emerged during:
The civil war period 1st c. BC
(example: Crassus’ greed is makes Rome colelctively guilty)
Define: Lectesternium
A meal offered to the gods in Ancient Rome
In Greek myth, in what 2 ways can nature be destroyed?
Fire
Flood
Sanctuaries: Why were they placed there and why?
- Liminal places, national borders, city gates, etc
- Numinous places: Mountain tops, sites of epiphanies (from Latin word Numen, meaning a special, maybe divine presence in a special place)
- Gradations of space: different degrees of sanctuary access for different sorts of people (ex. Only the priestess can enter, the rest have to stay out in the courtyard)
- A way of marking territory
