An Integral Part Of The Culture Of Ancient Greece

The Greek society believed in polytheism. They believed that their were many gods and that each god has the power to control different aspects of nature. In this paper I will be explaining why this has come to be. I will also tell you about the fact that no matter what the Greek Gods do it will affect the Greek Society, and no matter what the Greek Society does it will affect themselves or the Greek Gods.

A polytheistic Greek religion is surrounded by numerous gods. Each represented a certain aspect of human problems including abstract ideas, such as justice and wisdom. This was the religion most devout Greeks followed and believed in. The most important gods were Olympian gods led by Zeus. These gods were: Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter, Ares, Artemis, Hades, Hephaistos,

In this paragraph will be information on Greek Gods and Goddesses. There was a governing body for the Grecians. This mythological group was very important. They were usually the reason for war and many believed that they were so superior that they would bring disease and death upon others that they dislike or the people that would try to out shine them. They were called The Olympians. There were twelve Olympians, however before I name them there actually were 13, but Hestia gave up her position for Dionysus. There was Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes, Hephatus, Hera, Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, Artimes, Dionysus, Aries (Ares or Aris), and Apollo.” (Greek Gods and Goddesses) There was one other God that is also very important to the Olympians. His name was Hades and he was the God of the Dead. He was not considered an Olympian though because he was always to be in the Underworld. Hades had one day decided that he wanted a partner however

The first accounts of the Ancient Olympic games trace back to the year 776 BC. Held at Olympia, the games were thought to have been dedicated to the ‘Olympian gods’, Hera, Athena, Apollo and most prodimately, Zeus, the god of the sky and the ruler of the Olympian gods. Ancient myths associated with the beginning games stated that Zeus, the father of humanity, have fought and defeated Cronus in a battle for the throne of the gods. Others predicted demigod Herakles staged the games in Zeus’s honour, as he had assisted him in conquering Elis. Olympia, the site in which the games were held, was located in the Western part of the Peloponnese. The sacred area held numerous temples and sporting facilities, as the site was used for both the Ancient Olympic games

The theology of this religion was polytheistic, with the assumption that there were many different gods and goddesses. This is unlike many other religions, such as Christianity or Islam, which are monotheistic. There was an order of the deities, with Zeus having a certain level of control over almost everything, but he was not omnipotent. Though they were immortal, the gods were nowhere near all-good nor all-powerful. Everyone, even the Olympians, had to obey Fate. Unalike Egyptian Mythology, the gods looked and acted like humans. They interacted with mortals, and had many children with them.

The Greeks set up athletic events in honor of Zeus for which the Olympics was made.

He was told he would get paid for cleaning horse stables. However, the king refused to pay. Hercules then declared war on the king’s sons, Elis and Augeias. He sought vengeance for the king’s refusal to honor his promise. Hercules soon went to battle and killed the king and his sons. After this, he went to Olympia. Hercules organized a foot race, and the winners of the race would win the prize of a wreath woven with olive branches. This foot race started the Olympic Games, which Hercules is known for founding. He raised temples dedicated to twelve gods of Mount Olympus and the hero of

The Greco-Roman world was a majority polytheistic, Judaism was the exception as the followers believed in a sole god. Deities of the Greco-Roman polytheistic religions were based on anthropomorphized representations of natural forces as

Men were to be warriors and adventures, so for that they had the god of war, Ares and the god for travelers, Hermes. Women were expected to be beautiful and reproduce, so they had a goddess of childbirth, Hera and a goddess for beauty, Aphrodite. In ancient Greece the people have their gods in their image so that they can relate to them. Greece was not the only civilization that had polytheistic

Ancient Greek religion contained a number of gods, each representing a certain portion of the human condition, and even ideas such as justice and wisdom. The most important gods, were the Olympian gods led by Zeus, they were believed to have resided on Mt. Olympus and would have been reconisible across Greece.

Religion also separated the Greeks and Persians. Persians placed a great emphasis on ritual, and practiced religious autonomy or religious toleration. Also, Persia was known to have three distinct religions. However, Zoroastrianism was considered the primary religion in Persia, because it was the first monotheistic religion. This religion introduced the idea of a dualistic universe that focused on good versus evil and heaven and hell (Lecture 8). The Persians were also committed to having people convert to their religion. As for the Greeks, “They did not recognize a single, exclusive, all powerful God” (Bentley 212). Greeks believed in mythology and in many different gods, such as Zeus, Poseidon,

Greek Mythology played a monumental role in the structural development of ancient Greece, not only as a society, but as individuals. Surprisingly, their religion was not exactly one of originality. In fact, their religion was loosely based on earlier cultures’ religions. It bears many strikingly similar resemblances to some of the oldest recorded religions in history. Ancient Greek religion is a type of polytheism called “Monarchial Polytheism.” That is, they believe in several different gods and deities but there is a supreme ruler above all of them. In order to fully understand how similar the mythological systems of religions have been throughout the years, you must look back towards the earliest of recorded civilizations. Polytheism

Religion was a big thing in ancient Greece. It was personal but also present everywhere in Greece. The Greeks were polytheistic which means a belief in many gods. Each god that the Greeks believed in was in charge of an emotion or some piece of nature. The main gods lived in Mount Olympus. The main gods and goddesses were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hestia, Demeter, Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus. Athens was named after the goddess Athena who is the goddess of war, arts, crafts, and wisdom. During this time goddesses were dominant so Greek woman had a big influence on religion. Since women were more soft spoken and had a higher voice than men they would whisper to the gods or sing softly to them. Women in ancient Greece were seen as oracles because of this.

The Romans were polytheistic. The Roman religion believed in many gods. They had similar beliefs to the Greek gods, but also big differences. The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods. Each of the gods has a function in the life of an everyday Roman that would require some sort of worshipping. The

Like the Egyptians, Greek civilization had multiple gods that were immortal and very powerful, but there were twelve major gods that were the most important. Some of these gods and goddesses were Zeus, Hera, Athena, and Apollo to name a few. They were believed to reside on Mt. Olympus. Greek gods were immortal. The people of Greece built temples (much like the pyramids that were in Egypt), and gods were worshipped at these temples. Ceremonial rituals or any other special occasions took place here also. Most of the temples were constructed to honor a god, and they were sacred in their being. They sacrificed animals, held festivals, and sporting events. It is apparent that the Greeks adapted some similar qualities from Egyptian religion, but they are still unique in their own way.