Religion in Ancient Greece

The Greeks were one of the first peoples to create myths. They used them to interpret and understand the world around them.

The Greeks combined their mythological tradition with their moral concepts and came up with a set of supreme beings - the gods - to worship.

The conduct of these gods laid out the foundations for the Greeks' understanding of how to live a virtuous life.

Traditionally these myths were passed down through their society's storytellers. One of these was Homer, who wrote the epic poems the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey'. These poems are the source of much of our knowledge of the Greek gods, and the beliefs surrounding them.

Hesiod was also an important ancient writer. His 'Theogony' looks at the origins of the Greek gods and is another significant text when it comes to their study.

The twelve Olympian gods were the best known of these deities. Many regions and even individual villages worshipped their own nymphs or minor gods that were virtually unknown elsewhere.

The Olympians ruled after the overthrow of the Titans. All the Olympians are related in some way, and they are named after their dwelling place, Mount Olympus.

The relationship between the ancient Greeks and their gods was based on a concept of exchange: if men worshipped and made sacrifices to the gods, then the gods would look favourably upon them in return.

Athletes in Ancient Greece

Religious festivals in honour of the gods filled the Greek year. The four best known celebrations were the Isthmian, Nemean, Pythian and Olympic Games. These were collectively known as the Panhellenic festivals.

The Panhellenic festivals were celebrated with processions and sacrifices. They were also a chance for men from all over the Greek speaking world to compete at a number of sporting events.

The Olympic Games were the most prestigious of these games. They were founded in 776 BC in Olympia near the city of Elis, in honour of Zeus, and held every four years.

Women were not allowed to watch the games because Olympia was dedicated to Zeus and was a sacred area for men. They were allowed to watch the chariot racing however, as this was held outside the stadium itself.

Originally, the games lasted for one day only, but later they were extended to five days to allow for three days of sporting events that began and ended with days dedicated to religious rites and sacrifices.

The major events at each of the games were chariot racing, wrestling, boxing, various running races, and the pentathlon (wrestling, running the length of the stadium, long jump, javelin throw, and discus throw). The main event was the foot race of one length of the stadium.

A branch of wild olive was the only official prize, but there were usually some unofficial prizes awarded by the cities that the athletes came from.