Greek Cults

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.

Olympias is definitely one of the better known ancient Macedonian women, however, her control was opposed, not only by men, but by another woman. Born Adea, then changing her name to Eurydice, Adea-Eurydice’s importance rested highly on her royal blood. She combined the lines of Perdiccas and Philip and achieved power through her royal marriage to Arrhidaeus, or Philip III. Adea-Eurydice’s mother, Cynane, was an Illyrian princess, who continued with Illyrian tradition and taught her daughter the arts of war. Cynane attempted to marry her daughter to Arrhidaeus but was murdered in an attempt to prevent this from happening. The Macedonian army was so enraged that Perdiccas was forced to carry through with the marriage, anyways. Unlike nearly any woman for the time, Adea-Eurydice was extremely knowledgeable in battle and in her ability to sway the Macedonian army to her side. The soldiers were loyal to the family of Philip and Alexander regardless, however, women could have easily inspired different reactions from the army. The Macedonian army was already beginning to lose favor with Alexander’s generals and Adea-Eurydice quickly began to take control over the army (Carney, 1987, p. 498).

The Greek and Roman religions were the two major religions that were established in the ancient world. Greek religion was the first to be recognized and instituted, followed by the Roman religion. Many people believed that the Romans mimicked the Greek religion; however this was a common misconception, even though they appeared to be the same there are many distinctions between the Romans and the Greeks. Even the similarities between the two religions had slight distinctions, like their gods, they had similar functions but some of their gods were completely unique to one culture (Ferguson 154). Roman religion also had different concepts like religio, ideas about afterlife and gods that emphasis on household religion. The Romans integrated certain aspects of Greek religion into their own practices, they also maintained their own ideas which made it unique and separated the Romans from the Greeks.

In ancient Greece, around 500 B.C.E, the culture was revolving around gods and goddesses. The lifestyles and actions of the people of Greece had an interdependence with the common belief of Hellenism. By understanding that many Greeks looked to their gods and goddesses in most aspects of their life, we can better understand how Greek culture worked as a whole. This can be seen specifically in Athens Greece. In Athens they looked to the Goddess Athena in particular because she was their patron Goddess. During this time a sculptor, named Phidias, sculpted a grand statue called the Athena Parthenos. The Athena Parthenos was viewed as an actual incarnation of the Goddess Athena, and symbolize victory in wars that ultimately create peace and harmony.

Greeks thought about their gods more often than most people do nowadays. Over the course of the day the Greeks would think about the gods often. if they wanted something such as death of an enemy or a good harvest he would give a offering to a temple of the of the gods domain in which he wanted help in.

There were many different aspects to the Spartan cultural life which ancient sources and evidence have provided insight and knowledge for our modern societies. These features include art, architecture, writing and literature, and Greek writer’s views of Sparta. The Spartan cultural life also gives us knowledge into other aspects of Spartan life and the society in which they lived.

A woman’s fate was controlled by the father and passed down to the husband afterwards. Women of the antiquity were married in their early teens to older husbands. The marriages were arranged by the Father’s bride and often the bride did not meet the husband until marriage details had been worked out. Virginity was valuable for women in antiquity, as well loyalty and fidelity. For a woman to divorce it needed the permission from a male member of the family (the father). Women were not allowed to own land or dispose property as she pleases. Also, they are prohibited to participate in politics, buy goods or sell services. Men believed women only cause despair, chaos, and confused situations even more, that they are incapable of decision making

Towering mountains. Bright blue seas. Glittering white temples dedicated to the gods. Though Ancient Greece was made up of many different regions and colonies, these 3 things were almost always in view. The ancient Greeks worshiped many different gods and goddesses that each controlled something in the mortal world. What was different about their gods and goddesses was that they were very human like. They looked like mortals, had thoughts like mortals, and they even quarreled with each other like we do. Ancient Greek religion is also known as Greek Mythology, Classical Religion, and Classical Mythology. Though whatever people call it, decisions made in Ancient Greece were heavily influenced by their religion.

display the power and jobs of the goddesses. The Greek people lived to please the deities

In Bacchae, the god Dionysus established a religious cult in Thebes, a city north of Athens. His followers were called mainades, mad women who traveled with him into the mountains outside of the city. Much like the woman in the marble relief, they let their hair loose and wore extravagant layers of ivy and foliage around them (Hedreen, 49). The maenads also allegorically represented the kind of women Greek men feared, women who left behind their families in pursuit of trivial passions that distracted them from their domestic duties. Similar gender norms applied in Rome (Hedreen, 55). Both Greek and Roman law regulated women's behavior, preventing them from acting out in public and remaining in company with their husbands (Attikinson, 12). Not so different from the Roman reaction against Bacchic rites, the king of Thebes in The Bacchae, Pentheus, perceived this rebellion as a liable threat to his kingdom. He, as a result, attempted to put down the "revolutionary and anarchic behavior" this self-proclaimed deity inspired against his kingdom (Attikinson, 10). As is the case for both Greek and Roman mythology, the battle between reason and passion, as with Pentheus against Dionysus, played an important role in determining what values were important for those societies. The relationship

There were a few gods in Pompeii and Herculaneum, each god were a head of houses; many houses had small shrines (lararia) with other painted pictures of them or statues. Many gods worshipped e.g. Genius; god of male line of descent and he worshipped on birthday of paterfamilias. Even Pompeian’s worshipped but they worshipped many gods such as Jupiter (the Greek Zeus), Juno (Hera), Minerva (Athena) and Apollo. In Pompeii many, many temples were dated e.g. temple of Venus was built on high found in southwest and was dated 80 BC. Tombs were highly rated, located outside the walls of Pompeii, there were around eight necropolises. 1st century AD many people were cremated, many individuals were given an opportunity to build their own tomb. In Pompeii individuals were hardly allowed to keep/own a tomb. The Laraia was the shrine to the gods of the household and was located in Pompeii. Pompeii and Herculaneum have many different beliefs. In a household shrine objects like the following are found; Lares- protectors of the house, Penates- protectors of the stores, Genius- guardian spirits of the family, Bacchus- (the god of wine), Mercury- (

Most of our thoughts about cults today are often a misconception of ideas that derive from our imagination. Practices that resemble a strange ritual or ceremony would certainly be fitting. Most of our culture could potentially spot a religious cult if the anomalies, or strange behaviors were evident. This simply is not a good way to identify cults today though. These groups are no longer apparent to the naked eye. Their systems of religious veneration and highly devoted groups blend in with our everyday living. These members live in communities. Some shop at the same designer stores we shop in, and rally for the same home sports team. These members are relatable. They are intelligent. They have great careers and enjoy some of the same hobbies as you and I. They teach our children in public schools, sit on the board for our local and National governments, prescribe us medications when we are ill. They blend right in. We need to guard our hearts and minds from these groups and gracefully proclaim the solid foundations of God’s word. The only way to do this is to understand how these cults work and how to defend God’s word effectively.

Continuously Religion has partaken and will constantly stay essential in our lives, whether we whole heartily have great faith in it or we do not. Yet, what exactly is Religion? Religion is having the certainly in a God or in a group of Gods. As well as, a structured system that takes into account strict beliefs, rituals, and guidelines that must be followed. In addition, carried out to worship a God or a group of Gods who are idolized. Today across the world there is nearly 4,200 Religions which are present. They include Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, and many more. Religions followers who remain dedicated to the Christian and Catholic faith are identified for following one God. In an Article called Incommensurability, Incomparability,

Throughout the course of time, different civilizations across the world hold one thing in common by which a society or culture can be based upon or help influence the structure. The one common thing that has help a civilization grow throughout the period of time would be the formation of a religion. Religion is a center point for many societies throughout history. As the center for the different civilizations, it helped form their different traditions and customs. The same could be said about the people of ancient Greece, where religion or mythology played an important role in their lives as it was the pedestal of their culture and how they base their lives upon. The formation of a religion across the large number of regions of Greece, help the different locations mold themselves by the customs that were created from the adaptation. During what was known as Ancient Greece, the people would hear tales of the twelve Olympians and how their actions influence the world around them. Within this period of time for the people of Greece was that of growth, as they sought to bring new ideas into light as they exited from a dark period within their own history.

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.