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Chapter 1: Living with the Divine

• Religion and culture were inseparable in ancient life within the context of core integration
• Ethnic identity was shaped by religious beliefs related to self, family, city, and empire
• "Cult" or "pagan" are modern terms that may mislead interpretations of ancient beliefs through anachronism
• Instead of conflict, polytheism involved deities having specialized roles
• Religious studies approach focuses on the historical and social contexts

Chapter 2: The Ancient Civilizations of the Mediterranean Basin

• Cultural exchange involved absorption of influences from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Phoenicia, in Greek and Roman religion
• Minoan civilization (Crete) had fertility goddess cults and bull-leaping rituals
• Enuma Elish and The Epic of Gilgamesh shaped Mesopotamian creation myths
• Egyptian influence saw morality and justice are linked to the afterlife
• Hieroglyphs, tombs, and funerary objects provide insight into Egyptian civilization
• The Phoenicians traded widely, spread the phonetic alphabet, and incorporated Mesopotamian religious ideas
• Greek civilization periods went from Minoan to Mycenaean to Dark Ages to Archaic to Classical to Hellenistic
• The Archaic Age development of the polis (city-state) and expanded Greek colonization
• Roman religion was influenced by the Etruscans
• Pomerium was the sacred boundary of Rome

Chapter 5: Temples and Priests

• Worshippers gathered outside at altars while inside temples served as sacred space
• Temenos Wall marked sacred temple grounds
• Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns are Greek temple styles
• Roman Temples were inspired by Etruscan and Greek models
• Priests and priestesses needed to maintain mental & physical purity
• Ablutions (ritual washings) were performed before ceremonies by religious staff
• The duties of priests were to maintain sacred days, temple upkeep, and care for god statues

Chap. 6: Worship of the Gods & Community Religious Festivals

• Pontifices combined religion and politics while overseeing law and public festivals in Religious officials in Rome
• Flamens were high-ranking priests (15 major, 12 minor) and were appointed by King Numa
• Flamen Dialis was Jupiter's priest, who wore distinct ceremonial clothing
• Vestal Virgins kept the sacred flame of Vesta burning and guarded sacred objects like Palladium from Troy
• Punishments were severe for vestal virgins who broke vows of chastity
• Processions through the city occurred before sacrificial rituals
• Prayers and epithets must be exact or the ritual must be restarted
• A flute player masked outside noise during sacrifices
• Haruspices read entrails to determine the god's acceptance
• College of Augurs interpreted omens as divination experts
• Duoviri Sacris Faciundis maintained the Sibylline Oracles
• Festivals maintained balance, marked seasons, and honored mythic events within the context of festivals and cosmic order
• Processions with musicians, dancers, and hymns (carmina) were included in festivals and events
• Sacrificial offerings included decorating and sometimes drugging animals to ensure a willing sacrifice
• Offerings were deity specific with black animals for chthonic gods
• Delphi (Apollo's oracle) and Asclepions (healing sanctuaries dedicated to Asclepius) were pilgrimage locations

Key Deities and Festivals

• Tyche (Greece) is the goddess of fate and fortune
• The Fates (Moirai, Greece) controlled destiny
• Cerealia (April) celebrated agricultural fertility for Ceres (Rome)
• Ambarvalia (May) sacrificed for protection under Ceres (Rome)
• Roman Senate decrees were stored in Ceres's temple
• A general was granted a triumph if he expanded Rome's borders
• During a triumph, the general wore a purple toga picta and a laurel wreath
• Triumph parades began at Campus Martius, and ended at Capitoline Hill
• Pantomime: Non-verbal performances conveyed myths
• Comedy and Theatre were often political or erotic in nature

MLS (Myth Legend Stories)

• Traditional stories with social, religious, or moral significance define myth
• Types of Myth include: Divine Myth, Legend (Saga), and Folktale
• Divine Myth focuses on gods and the cosmos
• Legend focuses on historical figures and places
• Folktales are entertaining stories with supernatural elements
• Myths reflect societal values, explain natural phenomena, and connect humans with the divine
• Euhemerism: Myths are exaggerated historical events
• Structuralism (Levi-Strauss): Myths resolve binary opposites
• Jungian Archetypes: Universal symbols appearing across myths
• Mesopotamian Myths like the Enuma Elish influenced Greek cosmogony
• Egyptian myths influenced Greek conceptions of the underworld via ideas of the afterlife

The Olympian Gods

• Zeus is the king of the gods, who enforces order, and wields the thunderbolt
• Goddess Hera is known for her jealousy as the goddess of marriage
• Poseidon is the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses
• Demeter is at the center of the Eleusinian Mysteries as the goddess of agriculture
• Athena's traits include wisdom and war strategy, and is associated with the Parthenon
• Connected to the Oracle of Delphi is Apollo who represents prophecy, healing, and music
• The young are protected by Artemis, also recognized as the goddess of the hunt
• The Trojan war is connected with Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty
• Hermes is the messenger of the gods and a guide of souls to the Underworld
• Violence and chaos is represented Ares, god of war
• Craftsman ship is represented through Hephaestus associated to volcanoes and metalwork
• Dionysus is God of wine, ecstasy, and theater

The Creation of the World and Humans

• Hesiod's Theogony involved Chaos being the primordial void
• Gaia (Earth) is the mother of the Titans, Giants, and the world according to Hesiod's Theogony
• Uranus (Sky) was overthrown by Cronus in Hesiod's Theogony
• Cronus and the Titans were overthrown by Zeus in the Titanomachy in Hesiod's Theogony
• Prometheus created humans, punished for giving fire to mankind in Hesiod's Theogony
• Golden, Silver, Bronze, Heroic, and Iron Ages are the Ages of Humanity detailed in Hesiod's Works and Days

Underworld and Afterlife

• Hades is the Ruler of the Underworld
• Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, her story explains the seasons
• The Rivers of the Underworld: Styx (oaths), Lethe (forgetfulness), and Acheron (sorrow)
• Punished Figures: Tantalus (eternal hunger and thirst), Sisyphus (rolling a boulder uphill forever), Ixion (bound to a fiery wheel)
• Odysseus, Aeneas, and Orpheus are heroes who visited Underworld

Heroes and the Heroic Cycle

• Traits possessed in common include: Divine parentage or favor, A quest or struggle, Suffering or exile, and Apotheosis (becoming divine)
• Examples of heroes are Heracles (12 Labors, achieved immortality), Perseus (Slayed Medusa, saved Andromeda), and Theseus (Defeated the Minotaur, founded Athens)

Trojan War

• Key Causes: The Judgment of Paris (Paris chose Aphrodite, who promised him Helen), and Helen's abduction by Paris
• Greek Heroes: Achilles (Greatest warrior, killed Hector), Agamemnon (Leader of the Greek army), and Odysseus (Clever strategist, devised Trojan Horse)
• Trojan Heroes: Hector (Prince of Troy, slain by Achilles), and Aeneas (Survivor who would later found Rome)
• Greeks won via the Trojan Horse, and Troy gets destroyed as the outcome

The Odyssey

• Encounters Polyphemus, Circe, Calypso, the Sirens as steps to Odysseus' Journey
• Odysseus traveled to Visits the Underworld to consult Tiresias, and Returns to Ithaca and defeated the suitors of Penelope
• Jason's Quest was to retrieve the Golden Fleece
• Medea helped Jason, later killed their children in revenge
• Pelias was the usurper king, sent Jason on the quest
• Themes were Betrayal, divine intervention, and tragic consequences

Theban Saga

• Cadmus was known as the founder of Thebes, who introduced the alphabet
• Oedipus killed his father, married his mother (unaware), and Solved the Sphinx's riddle
• Oedipus blinded himself after the truth was revealed
• Antigone is known for defying Creon to bury her brother as symbol of divine law vs. human law

Orpheus and the Power of Music

• Orpheus was a Musician who tried to retrieve Eurydice from the Underworld
• There were Dionysian vs. Apollonian themes
• Mystery Cults were: Eleusinian Mysteries (Demeter), and Orphism (Orpheus)

Foundation of Rome

• Aeneas was the Trojan hero, forefather of Rome
• Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf.
• Romulus founded Rome after killing Remus
• There existed Themes: Destiny, divine favor, and civilization vs. barbarism

Greek and Roman Religions (Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6) Summary

• Religion was integrated into all aspects of daily life
• There existed no separation between sacred and secular; worship was civic duty
• Rituals included sacrifices, prayers, and omens to seek divine favor
• Polytheism was common, with gods associated with natural forces and societal roles
• Gods and Mortals: Gods did not die, but certain mortals achieved semi-divine status (e.g., Heracles, Asclepius)
• Gods avoided direct encounters with human death, emphasizing ritual purification which was part of Purity and Pollution

Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations

• Greek and Roman religions were influenced by Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Near Eastern cultures
• Religious syncretism identified Greek gods with foreign deities
• Early Mediterranean societies relied on divination and priestly classes for interpreting divine will
• Temples as sacred spaces, often restricted to priests was commonplace within priesthood and temples
• Egyptian temples housed living gods, whereas Greek and Roman temples housed statues of gods

Temples and Priests

• Temples were centers of worship, not congregational spaces
• Greek priesthoods were often hereditary and specific to city-states
• Roman religious offices were state-controlled and politically influential
• Examples of key temples are Parthenon, Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Rome) and Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi
• Priestly Duties were to maintain rituals and sacrifices, interpret omens,and ensure divine favor for military and political decisions

Worship of the Gods and Festivals

• Festivals reinforced community and civic identity as major public events
• The Panathenaea and Dionysia were Greek Festivals
• Eleusinian Mysteries involved secret religious rites promising personal salvation, associated with Demeter and Persephone
• The Saturnalia and vestalia were Roman Festivals
• Sacrificial Practices involved acts of offerings of animals to the god
• Specific animals were associated with certain gods
• Priests (augurs) read natural signs as part of divination and omens
• Household gods (Lares and Penates) were worshipped at domestic altars under private worship
• Daily offerings and prayers ensured familial prosperity and divine protection

Takeaways

• Greek and Roman religions emphasized reciprocity
• Temples were sacred, not community centers
• Festivals reinforced civic and religious unity
• Divination and omens shaped decision-making for both Greeks and Romans who heavily relied on interpreting signs before engaging in major actions
• Sacrifices ensured balance with the divine with religious acts being transactional, with strict rules governing how gods were appeased

Rules of Myth and Religion:

• Religious practices are typically very conservative
• Gods are ageless and immune to the effects of time, and their age does not depend on when they were born

Heroes

• A hero is a dead person who either did or suffered something extraordinary in life
• Demigods are a kind of human being, but not as special kind
• Hybrids have human-animal hybrids, and he human part always comes first

Myths

• People alone live in communities because of two traits: modesty and justice
• Justice meant giving to each person what is owed to them.
• The cure for a disease is the thing that caused it (homeopathy)
• The most important family-relationship in ancient Greece was that between siblings
• In myth, children exposed or set adrift are always rescued, and ultimately perform some great deed
• In Greco-Roman world, temples were off-limits to worshippers
• Sinners are normally punished in the underworld by frustration
• Characters in myth often have names with ill-omened meanings

Timeline

• Uranus's genitals thrown into the sea led to the birth of Aphrodite (Greek)

Time Line:

• There was no time for death for god’s in Greek mythology
• Aeneas and Romulus were major players behind Roman founding and creation of Rome
• Homer helped dictate more about after life and Gods
• Myths were never created out of scientific method or as a scientific fact, they existed to represent more emotional experiences
• First line of Gods created from: Chaos then came Gaia and Eros
• Gaia then met God and they had Uranus, with 12 other titans
• Cronus cut Uranus and out of Zeus, then Zeus had Uranus
• Gods were only able to not get punished by promising stone

Religions over Time

• In early religions there was a common theme of family, and they also were used to reinforce social status
• Mythos: Myths are too broad to define
• Most important relationships in Greek mythology are between siblings
• Over time religions started to be tied into social and political life
• Many Greek religions borrowed from Egyptian mythology
• People even started worshiping Gods and used this to solidify people and leadership