Religion and Significance in the Culture of Athens
Greek Religion
polytheistic
most important gods were the 12 Olympians
anthropomorphic - they had the appearance of human beings
they also had human imperfections and flaws, which Plato was against as he thought gods should be perfect
The Chthonic Gods were associated with the earth and linked to the underworld, with Hades the most powerful
most common symbol of the Chthonic was the snake
other important chthonic deities were the Furies, female spirits of vengeance with snakes for hair
Olympians were worshipped in a spirit of rejoicing but Chthonic worship was more fearful
Conflicting Attitudes to Religion
influence of the sophists led to a questioning of the role and existence of the Gods in Athens, and the relationship between men and the divine
Anaxagoras and Protagoras were both sophists like this
another example of differing views is Herodotus and Thucydides:
Herodotus took religion very seriously and references the divine in Histories.
Thucydides avoids all mention of religion and favours scientific evidence
The attacks on Anaxagoras, Alcibiades and Socrates demonstrate the power which religious matters held in the state and how seriously the Athenians too them
Confusion
on the one hand there was the committed practice of traditional religion with gods and heroes worshipped, but there was also questioning of whether such practices held any meaning
However, archaeological evidence suggests that religion held a powerful influence, with the temples for example
Religious festivals
Pericles said in his funeral speech that festivals offered the Athenians an opportunity for rest from the challenges of daily life
every festival was devoted to one or more deity and were public so that those citizens who were too poor to pay for their own sacrificial victims could still worship the gods fully
there were 41 festivals throughout the Athenian year