Cultural Foundations Paper: Hercules Statue and The Iliad Professor Lindsay Davies Maggie Wu Hercules: Exploring Ancient Greek Gods Religions have always been a central focus to any society at any given time in history; where there is a community, there has always been worship. Not only are there hundreds of different religions in our society today, but even the Ancient Greek and Romans have polytheistic religions. The importance of Gods is so instilled within societies that in the Greek epic poem The Iliad, written by Homer, the Gods are portrayed as the only ones who actually affect the War tides between the Trojans and the Greeks. With that, the significance of divinity will be explored through both this Epic poem and also through a statue at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Marble Statue of a Bearded Hercules. A massive demi-god with seemingly human appearances, only perfected with a toned muscular body, Hercules undoubtedly represents the flawlessness in Gods in comparison to humans.
During the early Roman Republic, Romans began to adopt religion from the Latin and Greek cultures. Many of the gods and goddesses the Romans adopted into their pantheon have a Greek equivalent, some of whom maintained their Greek name. Some of the Greek gods and goddesses Rome accepted were Apollo whose name remained the same, Aphrodite whose name became Venus, Hera whose name became Juno, and Zeus whose name became Jupiter (Encyclopedia Mythica). Romans had a god or goddess for almost every aspect of life and each god or goddess represented a specific aspect in life. For example, Apollo was the god of medicine and poetry, Venus was the god of love, Juno represented females and marriage, and Jupiter played the highest role as overseer of the heavens and Earth.
The specifically Roman deities adapted from the Greek original such as Zeus, were the Capitoline triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Jupiter was the overall protector of the state, Juno was the protector of women, and Minerva was the patroness of workers. The evidence from Pompeii indicates that these gods had become the most important at least on a state level, in Pompeii before the earthquake in recognition of the strong Romanisation of the town after the Sullan colonisation. Venus (adapted from Aphrodite) was also a deity with special Roman connections as she was the protectoress of Sulla who established the Colonia Veneria in honour of her in his conquest of Pompeii. "Vote for me and Venus Pompeiana will bring you
Out of all the Pan-Hellenic shrines is all of Classical Greece, perhaps the most prominent and well-known shrine is Delphi. This religious site attracted Greeks, Romans, Europeans, as well as others to the Gulf of Corinth for one reason, the oracle. They came from all over the world to have their questions heard by the gods as well as receive an answer from them. Matters as personal as, whether or not the child being carried is the questioner’s. To large political issues, such as whether to invade a country or not.
Greeks were sensible, smart, bold, and vigorous. They accomplished great feats in architecture, arts, philosophy, and many more. They introduced our idea of citizen’s rights, freedom of speech, religion, and democracy. They surpassed many in astronomy, physics, and mathematics. They also had a extremely developed religious life, transmitting human traits to the many gods and goddesses that they believed in.
Heracles and the Nemean Lion In Ancient Greece, what we now know as the mythos of their culture, was their religion. And it was important. Their Heroes, Gods, and Goddesses were key to their everyday lives. So naturally, many of them became the subject of pottery, architecture and other artwork. In the Greek Gods and Heroes section of the Greek exhibit, there is one piece of pottery that depicts the great greek hero Heracles (known in Roman mthyology as Hercules).
Anu, (Akkadian), Sumerian An, Mesopotamian sky god and a member of the triad of deities completed by Enlil and Ea (Enki). Like most sky gods, Anu, although theoretically the highest god, played only a small role in the mythology, hymns, and cults of Mesopotamia. He was the father not only of all the gods but also of evil spirits and demons, most prominently the demoness Lamashtu, who preyed on infants. Anu was also the god of kings and of the yearly calendar. He was typically depicted in a headdress with horns, a sign of strength.
Imagine Ancient Greece, a nation where strict laws regulate daily life, particularly of women, and citizens are expected to worship the Greek gods in everything they do. Now picture Ancient Rome, the centre of the greatest empire in the ancient world. Entertainment is provided, as is a job, and reasonable wealth. In their book, ‘Nelson History 1’, Eshuys et. al.
Their stories were altered by the Roman Empire which created what we know as Roman Mythology. Many people confuse the two because of their similarities. The Greeks worshiped 12 main gods called the Olympians: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Hephaestus, Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite, and Hades. On the contrary, the Romans worshiped the same gods, keeping each gods different area of expertise, but had renamed them: Jupiter, Neptune, Juno, Ceres, Minerva, Diana, Apollo, Vulcan, Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Pluto, which our planets are named. The Greek gods were named and based after human personality traits such as Love (Eros) or their area of expertise such as Poseidon (Sea).
Ancient Contributions Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome made their contributions Western Civilization and the modern world today. Some contributions were small, while others were big. Both civilization shared the same characteristic, they both began as small areas and rose to become what we know them as two of the most influential civilizations today. From people, to ideas, to inventions, these two civilizations influenced everyone around them and gave us the building blocks to become the successful civilization that we are today. The Ancient Greece culture has made many contributions to Western Civilization.