Greek Religion, ritual, and Worship
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Religion was the center of life in Ancient Greece. Sports, politics, entertainment
and war were all included religious rituals. They believed in many gods, each of them had control of different places of the world and human behavior, like controlling storms and the sea, and others, who had control of human activity like war or hunting. The Greeks saw the gods and their powers in the same ways, not just one god with all of the powers, they split the powers up over a number of gods. They made Zeus the king god and the most power. But he did not rule alone, he needed help from others. Greece was not only nation with one king, but lots of little nations, many of which were not run by kings, but by councils of princes. People worshiped all of the Gods, saying they had to give the Gods something they liked in exchange for a favor of helping you. An important gift to the gods was an animal sacrifice. People would go and kill an animal near an altar to a god. They would cook and eat the animal together, and the fat and bones were burnt for the god as his or her share.
The Greeks worshiped gods in many ways. Another way they did that was through competitions. The Olympics, for example, were held in Zeus' honor. In Athens, people would write and perform the best plays in honor of Dionysus. People would also walk long distances through cities or countryside carrying gifts to the gods, usually sacred objects. Both competitions and processions were important events for the gifts.
The Greeks also believed in oracles, which revealed the future. They would come and seek special advice on future events. Seers would work out the gods' advice through signs such as the way birds flew, or shapes and colors of the livers from sacrificed animals. Most Greeks would ask an oracle, the most accurate was the Delphic oracle, where Appollo would answer questions through a woman called the Pythia.
and war were all included religious rituals. They believed in many gods, each of them had control of different places of the world and human behavior, like controlling storms and the sea, and others, who had control of human activity like war or hunting. The Greeks saw the gods and their powers in the same ways, not just one god with all of the powers, they split the powers up over a number of gods. They made Zeus the king god and the most power. But he did not rule alone, he needed help from others. Greece was not only nation with one king, but lots of little nations, many of which were not run by kings, but by councils of princes. People worshiped all of the Gods, saying they had to give the Gods something they liked in exchange for a favor of helping you. An important gift to the gods was an animal sacrifice. People would go and kill an animal near an altar to a god. They would cook and eat the animal together, and the fat and bones were burnt for the god as his or her share.
The Greeks worshiped gods in many ways. Another way they did that was through competitions. The Olympics, for example, were held in Zeus' honor. In Athens, people would write and perform the best plays in honor of Dionysus. People would also walk long distances through cities or countryside carrying gifts to the gods, usually sacred objects. Both competitions and processions were important events for the gifts.
The Greeks also believed in oracles, which revealed the future. They would come and seek special advice on future events. Seers would work out the gods' advice through signs such as the way birds flew, or shapes and colors of the livers from sacrificed animals. Most Greeks would ask an oracle, the most accurate was the Delphic oracle, where Appollo would answer questions through a woman called the Pythia.