Women And Religion - 5

Question 1

What were the duties of a hiereia?

Answer 1

To serve the Goddesses, looking after the sanctuary and the buildings inside, supervising the work of temple attendants as the wash and clothed the statue of the golf, residing at sacrifices and certain public festivals.

Question 2

How could a woman become a hiereia?

Answer 2

Either elected, chosen by lottery or inherited from a parent

Question 3

What was the function of a mantis?

Answer 3

A prophet, after an animal had been killed a mantis would examine it by the colour and texture. Determine whether the gods accepted the sacrifice. Gained a reputation by giving accurate prophecies. If you were well respected as a mantis you would have political power.

Question 4

What role did the women play at The Great Panathenaia?

Answer 4

Women could not compete but could watch. Their duty was to hep with the peplos which would go on the statue of Athena. The peplos was woven by women called ERGASTINAI. They wove intricate images onto the fabric to depict a battle. This was to honour Athena

Question 5

What role did the women play at The Thesmorphia?

Answer 5

Only for married women. Honouring the Goddess of Demeter, fertility and harvest. With i out Demeter influence no cries would grow and all life would perish. So without the women honouring her life would supposedly fail. The women would set up shelters near the pnyx (the hill where the Athenian assembly met), symbolising that the women took over the city. The net day they would fast and sit on the ground covering themselves on ashes. Mourning/ re-enacting Demeter grief. On the final day they would pray for blessings in fertility to make sure they could produce and heir for their husbands.

Question 6

What role did the women play at the worship of Dionysus?

Answer 6

Women who worshiped Dionysus were referred to se Maenad, they would dance and do drugs to lose their inhibition to have an ecstatic experience. Chasing after wild animals during their rituals. They were ruthless and rebellious. As Dionysus was the God of wine and ecstasy, by consuming these things it showed signs of respect to him.

Question 7

What were Athenian burial customs?

Answer 7

When a relative died the women (over the age of 60) were responsible to organise a burial of the body. First wash the body, then take care of wounds. Adding ointments an oils then clothed in a white burial shroud. Finally the body was garland with flowers and a coin placed under their mounted for they could pass into the underworld. To show grief women would cut their hair short and dress in tattered clothing

Question 8

What duties and privileges did the Vestal Virgins have?

Question 9

What were the duties for the Vestal Virgins?

Answer 9

• to tend to the sacred fire and make sure it never went out accidentally
• once a year to extinguish the fire, clean and purity the temple and relight the fire
• to attend certain public festivals and sacrifices
• to bake the sacred salt cake usages at state sacrifices
• to act as guardians of important documents, including wills and treaties

Question 10

What are the duties for Flaminica Dialis?

Answer 10

• sacrificing a ram to Jupiter every eight day on the market day
• weaving a ceremonial cloak for the Flamen Dialis
• attending certain festivals alongside her husband
• avoiding religious pollution by observing a series of superstitious rules (not cutting hair in June)

Question 11

How was Flaminica Dialis chosen for her role?

Answer 11

Needed to marry Flamen Dialis.

Question 12

What are the rites of the Bona Dea?

Answer 12

All male species and men had to be removed from the premises whilst this was taking place, celebrated at night, when mirth attends the revels and loads of music is played

Question 13

Why would a woman want to be a hiereia?

Answer 13

Very well paid, got to keep the skin and legs of sacrificed animals (which could be sold for good profit), Highly respected and very influential.

Question 14

Why was the Pythia so well respected?

Answer 14

She served as Apollos priestess and would refrain from having sex. She would be know as one of the most reliable in the world,m people would ask for gods’ forgiveness.

Question 15

How were the events at the Great Panathenaia meant to honour Athena?

Answer 15

• dedicating a peplos to her statue in a dyed purple or saffron which were very expensive colouring - they spent all their time and money on her
• Parading her down the street meant they held pride in her
• The Parthenon was made of marble to add overall impressiveness for the purpose of honouring the goddess.

Question 16

How was the Thesmophoria meant to honour Demeter?

Answer 16

• By fasting and covering themselves in ashes it showed respect for Demeter as they are reenacting her grief from when she lost her daughter
• ## Make jokes to cheer Demter up when she is grieving

Question 17

How did the worship of Dionysus give the worshippers an ecstatic experience?

Answer 17

• Being the god of wine influenced the maenads to drink and do drugs giving them an out of reality experience as this was something they never usually got to experience.
• Letting their hair down and being rebellious represented Dionysus and showed their respect.
  None of these things would have been accepted as a normal Greek women so this would have been an ecstatic experience.

Question 18

Why was Vesta so important to the Romans?

Question 19

What significance did Pudicitia have in Roman Religion?

Answer 19

She represented feminine sexual modesty, which the Romans loved. Never in having an affair, so her childrens parentage would never be questioned. Men influenced women to maintain her own personal. She signified modesty and feminine virtue.

Question 20

What was the significance of the sibylline Books in Roman religion?

Answer 20

These books were held in Rome and full of prophecies. Roman phrophetesses were called sibyls. These books would be consulted in a national emergency, as they were full of advice from Sibyl who claimed to be inspired by Apollo (god of phrophecy). The books did not contain predictions but instead a range of situations that they might have faced in Rome.

Question 21

What were the duties of the Pythia?

Answer 21

She would seat herself on a three legged stool in the innermost room of the temple, burning barley and laurel leaves as an offering to Apollo and then breathing them deeply. She would not be intoxicated once this state was achieved she would then be asked questions allowing Apollo to take control of her body.