Greek Religion: The Role Of Religion In Ancient Greece

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Religion is the belief and worship of a particular God or gods. Although many factors played a part in shaping Greek society, religion was a major one because of the study of mythology, the use of temples, and the celebrations and conducting of festivals and rituals.
One aspect of Greek religion was mythology. Because of their belief in mythology, they worshipped many gods. “The poetry of Homer gave an account of the gods that provided Greek religion with a definite structure” (--------). Greece is known for having a lot of gods/goddesses; however, many myths are focused around twelve main gods/goddesses. These twelve gods/goddesses were known as the Chief Gods/Goddesses. They are believed to live on a special mountain called Mount Olympus. Zeus, who is said …show more content…

“Temples dedicated to a god or goddess were the major buildings of Greek society.” (--) They were designed to serve as homes for the gods of that particular community. The people believed that the gods had a major control over certain elements around them, so they thought it was best to keep the gods happy and pleased. They wanted them to feel at home. Each temple had a statue of the god or goddess that lived there. In the past, the statues were made out of wood. However, as time evolved, the statues were created with different materials, such as stone or cast bronze. The finest statues were made of a combination of gold and ivory, which was Zeus’s and Athena’s statues. The statue of Zeus is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The design of the temple was inspired by a look of nature. To keep the temples beautiful, private groups and individuals were encouraged to contribute donations. Although many people were involved in the process of building the temple and maintaining the upkeep, only priests were allowed to enter the temple to perform special

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