Religion & Mythology, Culture & Social Classes
RELIGION
Ancient Greek religion was created similar to other religions at the time. It was a mix of old Minoan beliefs, Central Asian gods that Indo-Europeans brought to Greece, and West Asian ideas they got from surrounding Ancient civilizations. The Ancient Greeks were polytheistic, meaning they believed in many gods. In Greek religion, each god represented a specific aspect of humans. The gods in Greek religion were invisible, powerful spirits that could control what happened to people and the world. The Greeks tried to control the gods through sacrifice, prayer, and living a good life. Their religion had formal rituals which included animal sacrifices and libations. Learn more about the gods in mythology. MYTHOLOGY There were many things that the Greeks did not understand. To explain these things, they created myths. At first, there was no writing, so these myths were passed down from generation to generation orally. Later, Greek poets wrote epic stories based on those myths and legends. In Greek mythology, the Greek gods lived a top Mount Olympus, which is the tallest mountain in Greece. Zeus was the supreme god, and ruled the sky with his powerful thunderbolt. He had two brothers, who ruled over the other two realms of the world. Poseidon, one of his brothers, ruled the oceans. The other brother, Hades, ruled over the underworld. The most important gods are the Olympian Gods, who are lead by Zeus. These are:
Before making important decisions, the Greeks would frequently seek advice from priests or priestesses (also called oracles). They believed that the gods spoke to the oracles.It was said that the oracles could read things like the rustling of leaves or marks on animals as signs from the gods. The oracles were clever because their answers were always unclear, making it hard for others to prove them incorrect. CULTURE In Sparta, education wasn’t important. Children received little education before becoming soldiers. Spartan boys were sent to military school at age 6 or 7. They were taught survival skills through painful tasks. Only war mattered, so the boys were treated cruelly and taught to take pride in it.Spartan boys started military service at 18 and didn’t retire till 60. Education was not important, and some Spartans were illiterate. Somewhere between the age of 18-20, Spartan men had to pass a difficult test; if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be citizens anymore.At age 60, a Spartan soldier could retire and live in a home with their family.Sparta also provided training and education for girls.Spartan males and females went to similar schools. Females had much more freedom in Sparta than in other city-states. The goal of education in Athens, a democratic city-state, was to produce citizens trained in the arts of both peace and war.In ancient Athens, the purpose of education was to produce citizens trained in the arts, to prepare citizens for both peace and war. Until age 6-7, boys generally were taught at home by their mother until they were 13-14. But it was literature that was at the heart of their schooling.The national poems of the Greeks (Odysseus and Iliad) were an important part of life for Athenian people. Homer’s poems were taught a lot by teachers. Topics were read aloud and memorized because books were scarce. The most highly educated women were the courtesans, who went to exclusive schools where they learned to be companions for men. The people were divided into 2 groups; those who just wanted to learn and those who wanted a job involving public life, like government trained with philosophers. Slavery was very important to Greeks and slaves were everywhere. A person became a slave if they were captured, abandoned, kidnapped, sold into it or born as one.Woman were in charge of the slaves.A slave couldn’t enter the gymnasium or the public assembly, or even use their own names- they were given one. Female slaves were at a disadvantage, but were a part of some religious affairs. Men and women had simple linen clothes in the summer and wool in winter. Many families made their own clothes, which were simple tunics and warm cloaks, and colored them. Clothes were made by females.Jewelry wasn’t common, but everyone wore perfume.Women kept their hair long. Headbands, made of ribbon or metal, were very popular. Men cut their hair short and, unless they were soldiers, wore beards. A Greek home usually consisted of two to three rooms, and the courtyard. The courtyard is where women spent most of their days since they were not supposed to go outside of the home unless a special occasion. Families had most of their meals in the courtyard as well, especially since the cooking utensils were portable. A family would often gather to tell stories in the courtyard. SOCIAL CLASSES Sparta's social classes consisted of three main levels.
Underneath the Spartiate were the Perioeci. They had many rights and could own land. Although they had to pay taxes, they had a good life. They got education and served in the military, as everyone else did, and were in charge of the trade and communication with Sparta's neighbors. At the very bottom of society were the Helots. They came from Helos, which is south of Sparta. It was invaded and the people were killed or became slaves, although they were able to earn their freedom by joining the military. A few times each year, the Spartans made it legal to kill a helot, whether they were free or not. ATHENS The social class system of Ancient Athens was very similar to structures in other cultures. - Upper Class - Middle Class/Metics - Lower Class/Freedmen - Slaves To be in upper class in Athens, one must be a citizen, a man, and either have a high rank in the military or no job. This was a leisure class, free of economic burdens. The metics were not the natives of Athens, but came to Athens to settle down and earn their livelihood. They were not slaves but had few rights compared to the Upper Class. Metics were majorly involved in the trading and manufacturing related jobs. Freedmen were the next class in Ancient Athens and incorporates those who were once slaves but somehow were freed by their owner by any mode. This was the lower class people category and couldn't become citizens. They possessed few privileges. The Helots are the lowest level, not even thought of as a class by the Greeks. These people were either rescued from war, criminals, or even bought upon people. They had no rights and many weren't Greeks. |
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