Greek Culture and SocietyTerm II, Lecture 7
Greek Religion
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Religion and worship
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4Athens, theatre of Dionysus, seat of the priest of Dionysus
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What was a Greek sanctuary?
Sanctuary of Poseidon, Cape Sunion, Attica
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Main features of a Greek sanctuary
• Location• Altar• Temenos• Priest• Calendar
8Altar of the Temple of Apollo, Gortyn, Crete
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Temenos of the sanctuary of Zeus, Dodona
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Everyday Rituals
• Home hearth is sacred to Hestia• Everything hunted is sacred to Artemis• Everything farmed is sacred to Demeter• All sea-going activities are sacred to
Poseidon• All weather phenomena are sacred to Zeus• Travelling and trading is sacred to Hermes• Metal-working is sacred to Hephaistos• Wool-working and household work are
sacred to Athena
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Hestia, the most gentle and charitable of divinities, guardian of the oikos
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Ephaistos, the god blacksmith
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Thundering Zeus
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Greek Calendars
• Each polis had its own calendar• The calendar was a calendar of
festivals and sacrifices
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cos
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Sacred Calendar from KosMonth A: Batromeios• ?: An ox from the
Chiliastes to Hestia Hetaireia
• ?: Annual Festival to Zeus Polieus. Sacrifice of ox.
• 10th: A pig and a kid to Dionysos Scyllites
• 20th: An ox to Zeus Polieus
• 20th: A pregnant sheep to Athena Polias
• 21st: A pig and a kid to Dionysos Scyllites
• 23rd: A sheep and a pregnant ewe to Demeter
• 24th: A pig and a kid to Dionysos Scyllites
Month B: Karneios• ?: A pregnant ewe to
Rhea• 10th: A heifer to Argive
Royal Hera of the Marshes
• 11th: A pig to Zeus Machaneus
• 12th: 3 sheep, an ox, ½ medimnos of barley and wine to Zeus Machaneus
• 12th: Heifer/sheep to Athena Machanis
Month C: Pedageitnion• 21st: 3 sheep to the
Heroes• 28th: A lamb to Herakles• 28th: An ox to HeraklesMonth D: Unknown• 17th: A sheep to Delian
Apollo• 17th: An ewe to Leto• 19th: A goat to the Graces• 20th: A sheep and an ewe
to Apollo Karneios and Artemis
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The Panathenaic Procession• It is generally accepted that the Parthenon
Frieze portrays the Processions at the festival of the Great Panathenaia that was celebrated every four years in Athens
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Athens, the Parthenon
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Panathenaic Processiona proposed order
• Four little girls carrying a peplos for the life-size statue of Athena Polias
• Priestesses of Athena and Athenian women carrying gifts • Sacrificial animals (cows and sheep) • Metics (resident aliens), wearing purple robes and carrying
on trays cakes and honeycombs for offerings • Musicians playing the aulos and the kithara. • A colossal peplos (for Athena Parthenos) hung on the mast
of a ship on wheels • Old men carrying olive branches• Four-horse chariots with a charioteer and fully armed man
(apobatês) • Craftswomen (ergastinai - weavers of peplos) • Infantry and cavalry • Victors in the games • Ordinary Athenians arranged by deme
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Arrephoroi
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Sacrificial animals (cows and sheep)
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Musicians playing the aulos and the kithara
23Old men carrying olive branches
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Metics (resident aliens), wearing purple robes and carrying on trays cakes and honeycombs for offerings
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Craftswomen (ergastinai - weavers of peplos)
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Infantry and cavalry (who is missing?)
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The Acropolis seen from the Panathenaic stadium
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Eleusis
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Demeter and Triptolemus
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Herma: Square or rectangular pillar of stone, terracotta, or bronze; a bust of Hermes' head, usually with a beard, sat on the top of the pillar, and male genitals adorned the base.
415: The Hermae affair
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The Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi
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The Pythia
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Athenian Thesauron
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Theatre of Apollo, Delphi• The cult of excellence:music competition
• Hymn to Apollo• Flute and kithara• Acting and drama• Painting
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Stadium, Delphi• Held in August, every four
years• Lasted 6-8 days• 1. “Holy games”:
showcase of Apollo’s victory over Python
• 2. Procession and sacrifice• 3. Musical competition• 4. Sport competition
The archaic aristocracies of Attica
Necropolises of Menidhi/Acharnae and Thoricus
The Mycenaean tombs of Thorikos
The Mycenaean tombs of Thorikos
The Mycenaean tombs of Thorikos
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The cup of Nestor
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Athens, monument of the eponymous heroes