Ancient religon, Priestesses, Rituals Flashcards
(23 cards)
What does Temenos mean?
Sanctuary
How many priests or priestesses did each sanctuary have?
Each sanctuary had its own priest or priestess
What does ‘Hiereia’ mean?
Priestess/Godess
What does ‘Hiereus’ mean?
Priest/God
Where could women have influence in society?
As a priestess in a sanctuary
Did priests/priestesses belong to a specific temple or many?
A preist belonged to a specific temple
Would be titled accordingly
e.g. Priestess of Athena Polias
What were the duties required of a priest or priestess?
Presiding sacrifices (but the priest didn’t do the killing)
Supervising the ceremonial washing and robing of the statue
Looking after the temple building and temenos (with attendents
How did someone become a priest/priestess?
Some were elected
Some paid to become one
Some were inherited roles (through the family)
How were priests and priestesses supervised?
They were supervised by the temple commissioners
Who were the temple commissioners?
A board of citizens appointed by the state
What was the role of the board of commissioners?
Supervised priests and priestesses
Looked after money and maintenance
Who were the most important gods in greek religion?
The twelve Olympians
But they had other gods for every aspect of life
These had different responsibilities
Give some examples of the responsibilities of some gods
Demeter was responsible for the harvest
Zeus for the rain
Ares for war
Why was religion important for women?
Gave women the opportunity to leave their homes and engage with the community beyond their household
Could give women influence over the public sphere of government
What are some similarities between Ancient greek religion and modern religion?
Rites of passage
Festivals
Pilgrimage
What are some differences between Ancient greek religion and modern religion?
Institutionalised religon
Relations between gods and men
Afterlife
Moral code of conduct
Outline the basics of ancient religion
No centralised religious authority
No scripture
No formal moral code
Little hope of a good life after death
No concept of conversion as there were no other religions
Worshipping the same gods was tied to greek identity + their common language
What rituals did greeks perform in the name of their religion?
Recited prayers
Made offerings
Made sacrifices
What is a sacrifice?
Offering to the gods
What elements did a ritual often include?
Prayer Washing Libations (the pouring of liquids) Incense or flowers Food Objects of value
What was the aim of purification in a ritual?
To rid the person or the community of pollution
What was the cause of ‘pollution?’
Pollution could be caused by an act of impiety or failure to carry out a religious obligation correctly
How were ritual actions set apart from normal behaviour?
Wearing special behaviour and adornments
Avoidance of certain behaviours or foods
Burning incense
Offering flowers or branches
