Ancient Greek Religion: Mycenaean to Classical Period Ancient Greece has been a religion- centered culture since the earliest period of habitation in Greece, the Pre-Mycenaean/Mycenaean period. Also through to the Dark Ages to the Classical period. It is a religiously centered civilization, and did have significant changes in the how it was incorporated into people’s daily lives. Religion is important to know about the Ancient Greeks because through it we are able to understand how they lived their lives. Greek Religion in the Mycenaean period was practiced within caves ,or rock shelters according to The Minoan- Mycenaean Religion and its Survival in Greek Religion and were known as, nature sanctuaries(Nilsson,1950, p.54). Which one could conclude that since the Early Greeks inhabit the same area that their religious practices take place that could have been the reason for them being a religion centered culture. Greek religious dwelling or sanctuaries were also known to be cult places and in many caves they gave offerings to the gods, through bloodless and other types of sacrifices. Their religion is described as something that can be personal and individual but is made to be public and communal, something to be joined in by all (Bremmer, 1994,p.2-3).For offerings as well as sacrifices and altar was needed which was a significant part of Greek religion then, it was a necessary structure for the cult but was not portable and came in a variation of types: rectangular,quadrangular, and ovular. To the Mycenaean Greeks as well as the Minoan inhabitants of Greece it was not only for offerings and sacrifices but in addition to the double axe a place where justice and punishment was dispensed. and according to archaeologist,Harriet Boyd... ... middle of paper ... ...mer, Jan N. Greek Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. Dietrich, Bernard C. The Origins of Greek Religion. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1974. Furley, William D. Studies in the Use of Fire in Ancient Greek Religion. New York: Arno Press, 1981. Garland, Robert. The Greek Way of Death. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1985. Homer, and Walter Pater. The Song of Demeter and Her Daughter Persephone, an Homeric Hymn. Chicago: R.F. Seymour, 1902. Jameson, Michael. "Mycenaean Religion." Archaeology 13, no. 1 (1960): 33-39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41663732 (accessed April 21, 2014). Mikalson, Jon D. Ancient Greek Religion. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2005. Mikalson, Jon D. Religion in Hellenistic Athens. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. Nilsson, Martin, and Hesiod. Greek Popular Religion. New York: New York: Columbia University Press, 1940.
The religion of this culture group involved many gods. Unlike the present-day United States of America where the running of the country depends on the separation of church and state, religion, including the pleasing of the gods, heavily influenced the government of the ancient Greeks. Of all the gods they had, the most important gods of this religion emerged
Burckhardt, Jacob, The Greeks and Greek Civilization, St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10010, 1998.
In all societies, the practices associated with religion, burial and death have given archaeology and history detailed information concerning the nature of a society. It is through the study of symbology in particular that we are able to discern the significance of the Minoan religion as it represents various aspects of their religious beliefs and display the impact it has on their everyday lives. Key symbols like the birds, bulls, horns of consecration and double axe can be seen throughout the island of Crete as well as on votive offerings given to their gods from their worshippers.
In ancient times, the Greeks had absolute and undeniable respect for their gods. They demonstrated their admiration by putting in place many rituals and celebrations to reverence the gods that they loved and feared in order to ensure harmony with them. In particular, the focus will be on the religious beliefs of the Greeks, including prayer and sacrifice, as well as on festivals and the arts, such as the ancient Olympic games and theatre. These aspects of their culture made a significant contribution to their quality of life. Moreover, these topics will be examined in relation to the twelve Olympian gods and their associates.
Grant, M. (1962). Myths of the Greeks and Romans (1st ed.). Cleveland: World Pub. Co.
The rise of the Greeks was a revolutionary step away from this system. Although Greek society was also greatly influenced by their polytheistic religion, they took an intellectual approach to the study of the man-nature relationship. Instead of acce...
The Minoan archaeology is one which was surrounded by numerous controversies and this can be considered to be incomplete without the overall understanding of Sir Arthur Evans. The Minoan archaeology on its own has been present for several years however a true understanding of the culture and the culture was brought to life due to the efforts by Sir Arthur Evans. Heinrich Schliemann on the other hand was focused on the Mycenaean culture. Both these scholars were known to make a number of alterations to the artifacts, however for very different reasons and rationale. The main aim of this paper is to discuss their position in each culture and to discuss the possible rationale that these individuals had for making the alterations.
Nardo, Don. The Ancient Greeks at Home and at Work. 1st ed. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2004. Print.
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Retrieved from: http://anonemuss.hubpages.com/hub/Greek-Influences-today Damerow, H. (2006, May). Retrieved from: http://faculty.ucc.edu/egh-damerow/romans.htm Kreis, S. (2000). Lecture 7 Classical Greece, 500-323 BC. Retrieved from: http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture7b.html Sakoulas, Thomas. (2002).
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Greek religion influenced greatly on the people’s daily lives.
Damrosch, David, and David Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. The Ancient World. Volume A. Second Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009. Pgs. .656-691. Print.
The rooms were used for everything from industry to meeting places and even sleeping quarters. The main function of these palatial buildings seemed to be economical. From clay tablets that have been accidentally preserved through fire historians know that the Mycenaean employed a ‘palace economy.’ The tablets, written in an ancient script called Linear B, are mostly records of good coming in and out of the palace. A palace economy was maintained by trading the surplus of goods produced by farmers and craftsmen with other cities around the eastern Mediterranean. Mycenaean pottery has been found in ancient sites in Palestine and Syria as well as Miletus, Rhodes and Egypt and it is a testament to the extent of trade that Mycenaean had with other cultures . It was essential that the trade routes be kept safe in order to maintain the flow of goods. By about 1300bce Mycenaean wares had been so standardized that regional differences were impossible to detect . This suggests that during the late Bronze Age, Mycenaean culture had become increasingly unified economically. The tablets found at Pylos suggest that Mycenaean must have used slaves to d...