Ancient Greek
Culture
When the Roman Empire assimilated Greece it did so with consider-
able respect and idealism. The Romans in many ways based themselves
on the Ancient Greeks, absorbing their deities (and renaming them), lit-
erature, myths, philosophy, fi ne arts and architecture. So what made the
Ancient Greeks so special?
Mythology
Ancient Greece revolved around a careful worship of 12 central gods and
goddesses, all of which played a major role in the mythos (mythology).
Each city-state had its own patron god or goddess, to be appeased and
fl attered, while on a personal level a farmer might make sacrifi ce to the
goddess Demeter to bless his crops, or a fi sherman to Poseidon to bring
him fi sh and safe passage on the waves.
Greece is as dripping in myth as it is classical history. For many of us
the fantastical stories of Heracles and Odysseus we heard as kids still
linger in our imagination. Standing in the ancient ruins of an acropolis
peering across the watery horizon, it’s not diffi cult to picture the Kraken
(Poseidon’s pet monster) rising from the Aegean, nor to imagine that
fi shing boat you see heading into the sunset as Jason’s Argo en route to
Colchis for the Golden Fleece. The average Greek is fi ercely proud of their
myths and will love entertaining you with a list of the gods, but they’ll
love it even more if you know a few of them yourself. Following is a quick
guide to the gods and the myths (and for more information, see also A
Dodecanese Guide to Mythology, p 518 ).
The Ancient Pantheon
»Zeus (Jupiter)Heavyweight champ of Mt Olympus, lord of the skies and master
of disguise in pursuit of mortal maidens. Wardrobe includes shower of gold, bull,
eagle and swan.
»Poseidon (Neptune) God of the seas, master of the mists and younger brother
of Zeus. He dwelt in a glittering underwater palace.
»Hera (Juno) Protector of women and family, the queen of heaven is also the
embattled wife of Zeus. She was the prototype of the jealous, domineering wife.
»Hades (Pluto)God of death, he ruled the underworld, bringing in newly dead
with the help of his skeletal ferryman, Charon. Serious offenders were sent for
torture in Tartarus, while heroes enjoyed eternal R&R in the Elysian Fields.
»Athena (Minerva) Goddess of wisdom, war, science and Guardian of Athens.
The antithesis of Ares, Athena was deliberate and, where possible, diplomatic in
the art of war. Heracles, Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts fame) and Perseus all
benefited from her patronage.
The World of the
Ancient Greeks
(2002), by
archaeologists
John Camp and
Elizabeth Fisher,
is a broad and in-
depth look at how
the Greeks have
left their imprint
on politics,
philosophy,
theatre, art,
medicine and
architecture.