Ch11. Cultural Contributions
11.1 Religious Practices
1. Religion
-polytheistic
-each city-state worshiped own god
-officials in each polis were in charge
of public feasts & sacrifices
-priest/priestess served as oracles
-gave prophecy
-person decided meaning
2. gods and goddess
-worshiped gods of Mt.Olympus
-12 major gods w/specific duties chart
p.181
-built temples
-statues of god inside
-altar in front
-gods home, did not enter out of
respect
-festivals
-Olympic games
-Theater
-placed great importance on individual
worth and value
-self respect
-approached gods w/dignity
3. Olympics
-1st 776BC
-held every 4 yrs. (middle of summer)
-held in Olympia (group of temples &
fields)
-honor Zeus
-most sporting events
-wars stopped
-Spartans fined for not competing
& calling a truce during
Peloponnesian War
-only men could participate
-swear to uphold rules
-fined if rules were broken
-games
-chariot race in Hippodrome
-boxing
-pancratium
-pentathlon
-5events
-winners crowned w/wreath of olives
-some city states gave athletes free
food for a year
-heroes
-parades
-Herodotus “Father of History”
-read accounts of Persian Wars at
Olympics
4. Theater
-festivals to honor Dionysus
-1st talk and dance
-soliloquy
-talk in which personal thoughts
& feeling are expressed to the
audience
-heroes and gods
-Aeschylus
-father of Greek tragedy
-created 1st play
-tragedies
-stories about suffering
-dealt w/relationships between gods &
people
-3 great writers
-Aeschylus-power and its effects
on people
-Sophocles-people suffered b/c of
sins
-Euripides-suffered b/c they did
bad things
-comedy-play with a happy ending
-about present time
-1st made fun of politicians and
political leaders
-eventually made fun of the
type of person
-Aristophanes
-performed at community festivals
-tragedies-morning
-comedies-afternoon
-men performed all parts
-women could watch
-open air theaters
-support of theater was a public
responsibility
-official in each polis chose play to be
performed and assigned play to a
wealthy citizen to stage
-citizens judged the plays at each festival