Ancient Greek Research Paper
Q1
In ancient Greek times, religion was very direct and personal, and reflected strongly the present issues and aspects of life in Greece. This is why, to understand the religion, we must understand what life was like in the founding times, around 700 Bc. The set of beliefs and teachings that belonged to the people at this time are now referred to as Greek Mythology. Around the time of the foundation of ancient greek religion, people were beginning to find and create city states and started to develop them. Land was being claimed by the government, however nobles of large and growing cities were beginning to gain power and eventually began to overrule kings and replace them as rulers. A key belief of Greek Mythology is around the gods, and these were helpful in creating people who were leaders to everyone. During these exchanges of power, there was much confusion around who was in charge, so the gods were an element of the religion that directly targeted the issue.
Q2 …show more content…
The story of the ancient greek gods explains who each of the gods are, their roles and what they value. These stories are like the sacred text of the religion, and provide insight into past, present and future greek life. There were 12 gods of Mount Olympus, where they live. Each god looks after a particular area of the world, which could be the sea, weather or war. The ancient greek people would pray to the gods, so that if they were ever in trouble, a god would help them, if it was in their specific field. For example if there was a bad storm, Zeus, King of Gods and the weather could save them.
Hermes is the son of Zeus, the king of all gods. He was a creative, mischievous god and as a young child, invented the first musical instrument. He was also known to the people as god of the marketplace. However, he was said to be the god of thieves, stealing as just a young boy.
His main role was God of business and travel, and this role had a very direct like to life in founding times. There were a lot of issues around business and power, as this was when cities and states were being claimed and given a ruler or king type figure. However this lead to many issues as there was always an uncertainty around who these leader figure should be in each state. The purpose of a god like Hermes is to watch over people in these times, and provide them with support and guidance, helping to regain a fair balance in power, and advise the people on what to do.
q3
In the ancient greek religion, there were very strong feelings about death and the idea of dying.
The people believed in the underworld, a place where souls would go after people die. It is hidden deep into the earth, and was also commonly knows as Hades’ realm. Just as each of the god had a key area, weather that be the sky or the sea, Hades was the God of the underworld. The people believed that their souls were immortal, so once their bodies died, they would then live here. Based on their actions in life, their fate in the underworld would be decided.
The underworld was so important to the people, as this is where every person, good or bad would go. Once in the underworld, there are 2 separate places, called Elysium and Tartarus.
After death, all bodies were sent to Hades, where he would decide where they rest. Elysium is a similar concept to heaven, a place where good people are sent to rest peacefully. Tartarus is an equivelent to hell, where they are tormented due to their bad actions in
life.
Another central ritual in the ancient greek religion was animal sacrifice. These animals would typically be oxen, goats, and sheep. These sacrifices would take place in a sanctuary, usually at altar that would be near the front of the temple. People that were participating in the ceremony would then consume some of the meat of the victim. As gruesome as it sounds, we must remember that this was normal at the time, was a key part of the religion, and was a respectful act to the gods. Sometimes, as well as this or in place of it, there would be a liquid offering, that would share the same meaning.
This ritual only happened at special festivals and feast day. Normally, there would be about four of these each year, but it would depend on the area. The festivals would be attended by people from all across the world in greek speaking places.
In ancient Greek times, religion was very direct and personal, and reflected strongly the present issues and aspects of life in Greece. This is why, to understand the religion, we must understand what life was like in the founding times, around 700 Bc. The set of beliefs and teachings that belonged to the people at this time are now referred to as Greek Mythology. Around the time of the foundation of ancient greek religion, people were beginning to find and create city states and started to develop them. Land was being claimed by the government, however nobles of large and growing cities were beginning to gain power and eventually began to overrule kings and replace them as rulers. A key belief of Greek Mythology is around the gods, and these were helpful in creating people who were leaders to everyone. During these exchanges of power, there was much confusion around who was in charge, so the gods were an element of the religion that directly targeted the issue.
Q2 …show more content…
The story of the ancient greek gods explains who each of the gods are, their roles and what they value. These stories are like the sacred text of the religion, and provide insight into past, present and future greek life. There were 12 gods of Mount Olympus, where they live. Each god looks after a particular area of the world, which could be the sea, weather or war. The ancient greek people would pray to the gods, so that if they were ever in trouble, a god would help them, if it was in their specific field. For example if there was a bad storm, Zeus, King of Gods and the weather could save them.
Hermes is the son of Zeus, the king of all gods. He was a creative, mischievous god and as a young child, invented the first musical instrument. He was also known to the people as god of the marketplace. However, he was said to be the god of thieves, stealing as just a young boy.
His main role was God of business and travel, and this role had a very direct like to life in founding times. There were a lot of issues around business and power, as this was when cities and states were being claimed and given a ruler or king type figure. However this lead to many issues as there was always an uncertainty around who these leader figure should be in each state. The purpose of a god like Hermes is to watch over people in these times, and provide them with support and guidance, helping to regain a fair balance in power, and advise the people on what to do.
q3
In the ancient greek religion, there were very strong feelings about death and the idea of dying.
The people believed in the underworld, a place where souls would go after people die. It is hidden deep into the earth, and was also commonly knows as Hades’ realm. Just as each of the god had a key area, weather that be the sky or the sea, Hades was the God of the underworld. The people believed that their souls were immortal, so once their bodies died, they would then live here. Based on their actions in life, their fate in the underworld would be decided.
The underworld was so important to the people, as this is where every person, good or bad would go. Once in the underworld, there are 2 separate places, called Elysium and Tartarus.
After death, all bodies were sent to Hades, where he would decide where they rest. Elysium is a similar concept to heaven, a place where good people are sent to rest peacefully. Tartarus is an equivelent to hell, where they are tormented due to their bad actions in
life.
Another central ritual in the ancient greek religion was animal sacrifice. These animals would typically be oxen, goats, and sheep. These sacrifices would take place in a sanctuary, usually at altar that would be near the front of the temple. People that were participating in the ceremony would then consume some of the meat of the victim. As gruesome as it sounds, we must remember that this was normal at the time, was a key part of the religion, and was a respectful act to the gods. Sometimes, as well as this or in place of it, there would be a liquid offering, that would share the same meaning.
This ritual only happened at special festivals and feast day. Normally, there would be about four of these each year, but it would depend on the area. The festivals would be attended by people from all across the world in greek speaking places.