It was the duty of citizens to help…
…maintain temples. They did this by donating money. Sometimes people even donated money that could have been used to buy another house! (The house of a god is more important than the house of a mere mortal!)
A temple was the…
…house of a god/godsess
Could people go inside temples?
No!
Where was the altar?
Outside the temple (so people could still see sacrifices, despite not being allowed into the temple).
Individual were charged with…
…the upkeep of certain features of the temple, e.g. friezes, the roof, etc.
What things were often dedicated to the deity as sacrifices?
Staves (statuettes) of kouroi (young men) and kore (young women).
What were the three types of column?
Doric - the simplest. Ionic - Slightly more complex, swirls at the top. Corinthian - The fanciest. Intricate, ornate top.
Describe the layout of a temple. [5 marks]
- 3 steps leading up to temple.
- Twice amount of columns lengways than width ways + 1 (15 by 7 in Parthenon).
- Cult statue in Naos, the room in the centre of the temple.
- Altar in the Pronaos.
- Opisthodoms on other side of Naos to Pronaos. Purely for symetry.
- Columns in antis in Opisthodomos and Pronaos.
- Temple orientated east-west.
- Temple often highest place in city.
- Religious rites held outside temple (this isn’t really relvant here… you should probably know it though).
Explain why temples were laid out in the way they were. [5 marks]
- Altar in the Pronaos. Only priests/priestesses allowed into temple, so had to be able to be seen from outside.
- Temple often highest place in city so it could be seen (show off wealth + honour gods; higher status than mortals).
- Temple orientated east-west so priests could face east for sacrifices.
- Opisthodoms on other side of Naos to Pronaos. Purely for symetry.
- Cult statue in Naos, the room in the centre of the temple. Temple seen as house of deity.
What does ‘Acropolis’ mean?
‘High-city’. Acro - High Polis - City
What gods had temples on the acropolis?
Dionysus (sanctuary) Athene (Parthenon) Hephaestus Aphrodite Zeus Aesclapius
What are the three parts of a column?
The Capital - The top. The Shaft - The middle. The Base - The base…
Where was the frieze (on a temple)?
On the outside.
What was the statue in the Parthenon made of?
Gold and ivory.
When was the Parthenon built?
439 BC.
The Parthenon was the…
…largest temple in Ancient Greece.
What does ‘Athene Parthenos’ mean?
‘Athene the Virgin’.
What did the frieze on the Parthenon show?
The Panathenaic procession.
What are the steps of a sacrifice? (7 steps)
- Wash your hands! Purification. 2. Dress yourself, robes + garlands (that you made yourself). 3. Prepare the animal. Tie ribbons around its head and paint its horns gold. 4. Lead bull towards temple, accompanied by flautist (calms bull) and a kore (maiden) carrying a basket of barley with a knife hidden inside. 5. When you enter the pro naos (the place with the altar), sprinkle water on the bull’s head. If it nods, it’s willing to be sacrificed. If it doesn’t, then don’t sacrifice it! 6. Have an assistant strike the bull with a club to stun it. Quickly remove the knife from the barely and slit the bull’s throat and collect the blood in a bowl. 7. Pour the blood over the altar. Begin carving the bull. Remember the three ways in which the bull is carved. First, the thigh bones are removed and wrapped in the fat before being burned on the altar. The smoke will nourish the gods. Next, slit the bull’s stomach and allow the entrails to pour out. Interpret the way in which the guts fell in order to predict the future. The rest of the meat should be cooked and served to everyone who attended the sacrifice.
Why was it important to regularly perform sacrifices in Ancient Greece? [5 marks]
-Honour the gods. -Bring the community together, ‘unified state’ -To gain the favour of the gods (e.g. in battle) or ask for blessing. -Chance to predict the future. -Opportunity to eat meat. Anything else that’s sensible!
How tall was the statue of Athene in the Parthenon?
6 metres tall.
