Athenian Religion
-polytheistic-believe in more than one god
Gods
-Zeus, King of the gods, ruler of sky, thunder, and lightning
-ate his wife, Athena broke out of his skull
-had two brothers: Poseidon and Hades
-Athena, most important goddess in Athens
-god of wisdom, handicrafts, defense, and strategic warfare
-daughter of Zeus and Hera
-brave in battle, but only fought to protect her homeland
-Hera, goddess of the gods
-god of women and marriage
-Zeus's wife
-Her mother was Rhea and her father Cronos
-Hades, god of the underworld/dead
-Brother of Zeus and Poseidon
-very greedy, always trying to increase his numbers
-Poseidon, god of sea
-weapon was the trident, could shake earth and shatter any object
-brother to Zeus and Hades
-second in power only to Zeus
-Hermes, messenger for the gods
-had winged shoes and hat
-Ares, god of war
-He was very aggressive and unpopular with gods and humans
-Brutalness of war
-immortal, but if he was hurt he returned to Zeus to be healed
-Hephaestus, god of metalwork and fire
-born lame and weak, an outcast
-made the gods weapons/artifacts
-Apollo, god of prophecy
-patron of healing
-very popular with humans
-master archer and fleet-footer--supposed first victor of the Olympic games
-Aphrodite, god of love and beauty
-loved by all gods and humans
-married Hephaestus and had many children
-Dionysus, god of wine and celebration
-son of Zeus
-Demeter, goddess of fertility of earth, crops, nature, seasons
-many humans praised her and prayed for good harvest
-sister of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades
-Artemis, virgin goddess of the hunt, moon, animals, archery, and childbirth
-master archer
-well known for the 6 golden horned deer to pull her chariot
-daughter of Zeus, sister of Apollo
-Greeks believed that they had to worship and please the gods to have good fortune
-Greeks participated in a number of rituals, rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices in order to impress and placate the gods
-Greek religion was ritual based, practicing a flexible set of beliefs, made no claims of universality
-Temples, shrines, statues were erected as sacrificial places
-altars in front of the temple (more important than the temple)- this is where they worshipped
-Greek religion was a predominant form of Paganism
-origins of Greek history has been lost in pre-history
-Cecrops asked for Poseidon and Athena to offer a gift for Athens
-Minotaur, part man, part bull
Government of Athens
-limited democracy: people could speak their minds in the gov't and vote
-direct voting on issues
-usually only free men that owned land could vote
Aristocracy
-state ruled by nobility
-rule is hereditary, based on wealth, social rank, ties, etc.
-social status and wealth support rulers' authority
-practiced before the direct democracy
Citizenship
-at age 18, men had two years of military training
-became citizens and could take part in gov't after
-adult men were full citizens
-in Athens, wealthy and poor clashed
-the people of Athens avoided major political problems by reforming
-reformers tried to build a democracy
Pericles
-leader of Athens around 450 BC
-made sure all citizens could take part in gov't
-any citizen could be in assembly or serve on jury
-even poor people could take part in gov't
Socrates
-teacher of philosophy
-questioned laws, customs, and religion
-brought "to trial for urging young Athens people to revolt", later sentenced to death
Plato
-The Republic- a book discussing how society could be constructed to bring out the best in its citizens
-believed different people had different strengths and weaknesses
3 pillars of gov't
Assembly of the Demos
-male Athenian citizens listened, discussed, and voted on issues
-was the central and most definitive institution
-citizens were paid for attending--good for poor people since they had to leave work to go
Council of 500
-represented the full time gov't of Athens
-500 citizens, 50 from each tribe, served one year
-could issue laws, but main function was to prepare the agenda for the assembly meetings
The People's Court
-citizen juries would listen to cases and vote guilty or not guilty, and vote on punishments for the guilty
-Jurors got .5 drachma a day for being in jury
-had to be at least 30 yrs old to be on the jury
Geography of Athens
-location: Greece
-included thousands of islands
-80% of Greece was mountainous, made of marble or limestone
-surrounded by Aigaleo in west, Parnes in North, Pentelikon in Northeast, and Hymettus in east
-surrounded by the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and the Sea of Crete
-on a peninsula, fish was a main part of their diet
-used sea for trade and transportation
Climate
-mild, wet winters: 50 degrees, lot of rain, mountains got snow
-hot, dry summers: about 80 degrees, allowed for outdoor activities
-trade was easier and more common since a lot of water was around Greece
-no harsh weather
-land was mountainous, made transportation difficult
-crops could be grown easily, but farmland was scarce
-had a lot of natural resources: nickel, petroleum, iron ore, lead , zinc, salt, marble, limestone
-sea trade was common in Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean
-two popular ships, cargo and warship
-traded with a lot of different countries far away, imports reached new heights, economy prospered
-Farming was difficult, as only 20% was good for growing
-main crops: barley, grapes, and olives
-farms were 4-5 acres of land
-farmers usually grew enough to provide for family
-some had large farms run by overseers
-average worker made 2 drachmas a day
-ore was common in Athens
-best known mine was the silver mines of Laurium
-their profits helped the growth of Athens
-slaves worked in the mines and made weapons, money, tools, and armor
-did metal work b/o mining
-druggists were usually female, collected herbs for medicine
-manual labor was done by slaves
-people with artistic abilities made images of gods and sold them
-a lot of farming
-only free citizens could sign up for military
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