Ancient Greek Religion

Religion was very important to the Ancient Greeks and they believed that religion was important to keep them safe and to help them to live a better and happier life.

The Ancient Greeks believed that the gods would take care of them when they died if they showed them the right love and respect.

Gods and goddesses

There were many different gods and goddesses that the Ancient Greeks worshiped.

The people believed in all of the gods and they believed that the gods controlled everything that happened, rather it was good or bad.

Each part of a Greeks life was ruled by a different god. The gods were in control of the weather, of having children, of health, of money and of everything that went on.

The Greeks believed that if the gods were happy then there would be good things that happened but if the gods got angry, bad things would come.

Since the people wanted the gods to be happy, they would build places in their homes and shrines in their homes so that they could give praise to the gods.

There were also shrines throughout the towns where people could come to pray, worship and leave the gods gifts.

Temples

Temples were built in almost every city that would be set for one god.

The god would then be worshipped in that city.

If someone needed something from one of the gods in another city, they would travel to that city and would go into the temple and would worship and pray to the gods.

The temple was a place where statues of the gods would be and people could worship, pray and leave gifts in the temple.

The temple was taken care of by the priest and the priest had one of the most important jobs in the town.

Many ceremonies and festivals would take place outside of the temple and people would come together and worship, play music, dress up and have festivals for their god.

Priests

The priests were considered some of the most important people in the town.

They had a job to keep the temples nice for the gods and goddesses.

It was up to the priest to make sure that the gods and goddesses stayed happy and that their temple was holy.

The priests were able to talk to the gods and would take the peoples questions and hopes to the gods for them.

The priests were considered to be a friend of the people and were trusted and loved.

It was not easy to be a priest and there were only two ways that it could happen.

The first way was if your mother or your father were a priest then the job would be handed down to the oldest child.

The second way to become a priest in Ancient Greece was to be appointed as a priest by a priest that was dying.

It was the job of the priest to make sure that the temple stayed clean, that it was protected and that the people that visited the temple were taken care of.

Gods and goddesses

There were many important gods and goddess in Ancient Greece and these included

Zeus who was the god of the sky and rain,

Poseidon who was the god of the sea, Hades, the god of the underworld,

Aphrodite the goddess of having children and Hestia, the goddess of the home.

There were many other gods and goddesses that took care of things like animals, birds, music, protector gods and more.

The Ancient Greeks believed that the gods and goddesses came from the Earth and the sky and that the gods and goddesses had lives just like theirs.

The believed that the gods and goddesses loved to play, have fun, argue, have children and liked to play music and have big celebrations.

Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus

The Ancient Greeks believed that the ten most important gods and goddesses lived on Mount Olympus.

They believed that the gods and goddesses that lived there were a big family.

Facts About Ancient Greek Religion:

• Most of the festivals were given to honor the gods and goddesses.
• Temples were built for the gods and goddesses to live in.
• The temples were decorated with paintings, statues and other artwork.
• People asked the gods to do things for them like help them to have children and help them to be healthy.
• People thought the gods and goddesses lived at Mount Olympus because it was so cloudy that no one could see the top of the mountain.

 

What Did You Learn?

1. Who did the Ancient Greeks worship?  The Ancient Greeks worshipped different gods and goddesses.
2. Why were the gods and goddesses important? The gods and goddesses were important because they controlled everything that happened in their life.
3. What would happen if things were going good in the town? If things were going good in the town it would mean that the gods and goddesses were happy.
4. Where did the Ancient Greeks believe the gods and goddesses came from? They believed that the gods and goddesses came from the Earth and the sky.
5. Where was it believed that the most 10 important Ancient Greek gods lived? The Ancient Greeks believed that the 10 most important gods and goddesses lived on top of Mount Olympus.