RELIGION IN ANCIENT GREECE
Religion (or mythology) was very important to the people of Ancient Greece. For example, the Ancient Greeks built many temples to their gods and goddesses. These temples were usually centrally located in the city-states on stone mounds or hills that the Greeks called an ‘acropolis’. More specifically, the most important building located at the Acropolis of Athens is the Parthenon. It was a temple built to honor the goddess Athena during the 5th century BCE. The central location of Ancient Greek temples shows the importance of religion and the gods and goddesses to the people of Ancient Greece. In fact, the Ancient Greek people worshiped and honored their gods and goddesses at these temples with different festivals and celebrations.
The Ancient Greeks had many gods and goddesses that they worshiped. The gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece each represented different aspects of life for the people of the time. To be more specific, the Ancient Greeks believed in several main gods, which they believed lived on Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, and reaches to over 9,500 feet (over 2,900 meters).
The main ‘Olympian’ gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece were:
- Zeus (God of Sky and Thunder; King of the Gods of Mount Olympus)
- Hera (Goddess of Marriage, Women and Family; Queen of the Gods of Mount Olympus)
- Poseidon (God of the Sea, Storms, Earthquakes and Horses)
- Demeter (Goddess of Harvest and Agriculture)
- Athena (Goddess of Wisdom, Warfare and Hand Crafting)
- Ares (God of War and Courage)
- Aphrodite (Goddess of Love, Beauty and Passion)
- Apollo (God of Archery, Healing, Truth, Music and Dance)
- Artemis (Goddess of the Wilderness, Nature, Hunting, Children and Childbirth)
- Hephaestus (God of Metalworking, Carpentry, Fire and Volcanoes)
- Hermes (God of Messengers and Travelers; Messenger of the Gods)
- Hestia (Goddess of the Hearth, Family and Home)
- Dionysus (God of Grapes, Winemaking, Fertility and Festivals)
CITE THIS ARTICLEAUTHOR
|
|