“Religious festivals were occasions of public display” a quote from ancient historian Xenophon, exemplifies the how gods and festivals play an important and crucial role in the lifestyle and the overall society of Sparta. Religion in Sparta was a way of bringing the community together and uniting the gods with the everyday social and political institutions of the Spartan state. Major festivals celebrated by the Spartans included those common to other Greek city states, along with festivals unique to the Spartans. These main festivals were Gymnopaedia, Karneia and Hyakinthia which were celebrated in honour various gods for various reasons. This will be explored through primary and secondary sources revealing the information behind the annual commemorations.
Mitchell Bortz 9-22-11 History 101 Hollenback Document Analysis #1 Question #1 In the time of the Aztec civilization, great strides were taken to keep everything in what I would call, “working order.” The Aztecs were very religious people who did whatever was needed to be done to please their main gods Quetzaquatal and Tezcatlipoca. Human sacrifice was the main form of pleasing the Gods and keeping the cosmos from being destruction. In my opinion, some of the things that were done to the people being sacrificed were very extreme. Some examples would be the rituals they performed. They included decapitation, burning of the body, strangulation, arrow sacrifices, etc.
The process of diffusion of the Eqyptian religion between early human societies is still apparent today. There are many religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians that are still seen in religions all over the world. The act of circumcision was started in ancient Egypt as an important religious procedure. This act was especially used among priests in Egypt. This procedure is still seen throughout the world.
Kenyi Garay Dr. Shalan English 209-071 Fall 2010 September 21, 2010 Deceitful and Scheming Nature History has shown us how many cultures established myths and legends to uphold their beliefs and customs. The Sumerians were not the exception; each city-state had its own patrons and priests which lead to development of many stories and myths. Among the most celebrated Gods in Sumerian culture we can find Inanna, Goddess of love, fertility, and war. She “rose” to power during the Sumerian Golden Age, a convenient similarity given that Uruk (Inanna is the patroness of this city-state) rose as the most important city in Sumer during such period. A collection of her stories, Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth, has become a literary work read
The Romans willingly adopted many concepts from the Greek. An example of this is the Roman religion and its gods and goddesses, which was greatly influenced by contact with the Greeks. The Greek religion was a polytheistic religion. It consisted of twelve brilliant and strong gods that were referred to as the Olympians. The chief of the twelve Olympians was Zeus, the sky god.
AZTEC After reading the Aztec article, I found that besides interesting , the Aztecs have a very complex religion. It seems they focus a lot on cosmology and astrology. Another thing I found interesting were the sorts of gods that Aztecs had. They were a people who believed in many gods. The Aztecs worshiped hundreds of gods and goddesses; each represented a different aspect of life.
Power was also delegated to advisors such as viziers and stewards Hapuseneb, Senenmut). Religious: Religion was intertwined with politics due to the structure of Ancient Egyptian culture. The gods were the centre of life. In order to gain publicity and respect, an association with these gods would brirng trust and respect to a society largely illiterate and unknowing. – Marriage to Thutmose II Hatshepsut had a daughter with Thutmose II, Neferure.
Gods and Goddesses of Pompeii and Herculaneum Private Religion A characteristic feature of Roman religion is the great importance of the household. In the Roman economy the well being of each man, slave or free, depended on the fortunes of the household, controlled by unseen powers. Part of the daily ritual would, therefore have been to make offerings to these powers. The guardian spirits of the penus, the food store of the ancient Italian house, are the penates, who together with Vesta, the deity of the hearth, represented the material prosperity of the household. Its temporal identity is represented by the Lares, the spirits of the ancestors.
“All round are a number of small shrines, each containing its god and having its own name and cult, and some of them also their own springs.” (Radice, 217) We see that as far back as the time of the “deified” Emperor Augustus (27 BCE – 14 ACE), the place has held a special meaning, for it was Augustus who was presented the site in his honor by the locals of Hispellum. To trace back the importance of religious locations and structures, we can reference “Gilgamesh” and the temples of Ur and Uruk. It is believed that the recently unearthed temples held great importance in the lives of everyday Sumerians. It was here that priests would climb on-high to present offerings to the gods in the hopes of receiving blessings and to gain favor. In many ways, the polytheistic tendencies of the Romans mirror that of ancient Sumerians.
The Minoans believe the divine world could be accessed through ritual, images on seal stones and frescoes showed this. Religious duties of Minoans included animal sacrifice, pouring libations, singing, dancing and active participation in religious festivals. Religion would have contributed to a sense of identity and community and would have reinforced social order. Religious rituals accompanied rites of passage such as births and deaths, Minoan rulers most probably exercised a sacral power that is they combined in themselves both royal and religious powers. There were many religious symbols in Minoan society including; Bulls: Seen to be associated with the most important animal sacrifice, Horns of Consecration: Symbolic replicas of bull horns, Labyrs/ Double headed axe: religious or ceremonial function, Baetyls: round