household and deme Flashcards
(28 cards)
religious responsibilities of head of the household
- tending to family tombs eg maintainance and offerings during festivals of the dead
- welcoming sons into the phatry
- making daily offerings to the main 3 household gods
who was zeus ktesios
protector of property and wealth. represented by a 2 handled vase draped in white ribbon. filled with seeds, water and oil
zeus herkios
zeus of the fence - protecting the enclosure of the house
statue in courtyard, often with a snake to ward off evil
apollo agyeios
protected the house from outside the main door
represented by a statue of heracles
what was the role of the hearth
dedicated to hestia and represented the role of the family
small ceremonies to welcome new members of the family meant walking around the fire, showered with fruit and nuts
what did herms do
they stood as both halfway markers on roads and as protective symbols outside homes
what was a responsibility of women
- burial process (prepared, laid out, women lament, funery procession, body is buried or cremated, then a sacrifice)
what was the burial preparation
body was washed, perfumed and wrapped in a shroud
coin placed on the deceased’s mouth. payment for charon to take them to the underworld
womenwould start to lament, cut hair and wail.
what was the funeral procession called and what was it
Ekphora
before the dawn of the 3rd day
from the house of the deceased to the burial ground
included all
actual burial of the dead
- either buried or cremated.
- a gravestone (stele) was set up if a family was wealthy. but it had to be maintained to stay honourable
- after, a sacrifice would take place. the victim was released on the earth as an offering ot Hades
- then a period of mourning for 30 days.
what is the idea of deme religion
- Greece was split up into 3 ones with 139 demes and subdivided into 30 groups (trittys).
- each zone was referred to as a tribe or phyle
- each deme had its own religious festivals, organised into a calendar.
- there were certain gods/heroes to specific demes but also many common festivals
What is a case study of a deme
Deme Erchia (in Attica)
- 500 males, 2000-3000 adults.
-25 days of sacrifices per year, 59 animals
- worshipped 6 Apollos
Zeus Agoraios
of the agora
oversight over selling and buying goods and esnuring that the administration was just and their deals were sealed by oaths
Zeus Horkios
god of oaths
Zeus phatrios
patron saint of phatries
Zeus philios
individual and household wellbeing, prosperity and purification. consulted usually on property, marriage and childbirth
Example of a negative hero
Cleomedes who was disqualified for killing an opponent in the Olympic Games and so ripped down a school roof leaving 60 children dead and himself vanishing from the earth.
heroisation meaning
The process by which a living person becomes a hero/is made a hero after death. This was often initiated by family members and beneficiaries and became widespread
where was the focal point for worship of a hero
a hero’s grave
but more famous heroes might have several places claim to have their grave
who was a hero cult for athenians
theseus. his bones were brought back and his tomb became a cult.
examples of bones in hero cults
Spartan lichas brings back the bones of orestes.
was politically significant as it provided a focal point for the community as they had a common ancester to unite around
why was miasma bad
a serious offence in greek religion and society
considered a dishonour and disrespect to the gods.
hesiod advice on miasma
“never pour a shining libation of wine to zeus or to the other immortals, without washing your hands first.
when you do they do not hear your prayers; they spit them back at you”
when were you polluted
- women after giving birth/menstruating (rarely)
- physically dirty
- disrespecting ancestral laws of burial
- sexual intercourse
- murder
