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# Greek Religion

# Greek Religion

## Overview
Ancient Greek religion was a polytheistic system centered on the Olympian gods, practiced through public festivals, sacrifices, oracles, and mystery cults from the Archaic through Hellenistic periods.

## Key Facts
- Period: ~800 BCE – ~400 CE (suppressed under Christianity)
- Type: Polytheistic
- Sacred sites: Olympia, Delphi, Eleusis, Delos
- Key texts: Homer's *Iliad* and *Odyssey*, Hesiod's *Theogony*

## The Olympian Gods
- Zeus: King of the gods, sky and thunder
- Hera: Queen of the gods, marriage
- Athena: Wisdom and warfare
- Apollo: Sun, music, prophecy
- Artemis: Hunt and wilderness
- Poseidon: Sea and earthquakes
- Aphrodite: Love and beauty
- Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Demeter, Dionysus [^1]

## Religious Practices
- Animal sacrifice at altars
- Panhellenic festivals: Olympic Games (776 BCE–), Pythian Games, Eleusinian Mysteries
- Oracle at Delphi: Pythia delivered prophecies from Apollo
- Mystery cults: Eleusinian Mysteries, Orphic mysteries, Dionysiac rites [^2]

---
[^1]: Burkert, W. *Greek Religion* (Harvard, 1985)
[^2]: Mikalson, J. *Ancient Greek Religion* (Blackwell, 2010)
---

## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Period: ~800 BCE – ~400 CE (suppressed under Christianity)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Type: Polytheistic" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Sacred sites: Olympia, Delphi, Eleusis, Delos" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Key texts: Homer's *Iliad* and *Odyssey*, Hesiod's *Theogony*" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Zeus: King of the gods, sky and thunder" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Hera: Queen of the gods, marriage" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Athena: Wisdom and warfare" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Apollo: Sun, music, prophecy" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Artemis: Hunt and wilderness" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 21: "Poseidon: Sea and earthquakes" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Aphrodite: Love and beauty" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Demeter, Dionysus [^1]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Animal sacrifice at altars" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 27: "Panhellenic festivals: Olympic Games (776 BCE–), Pythian Games, Eleusinian ..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 28: "Oracle at Delphi: Pythia delivered prophecies from Apollo" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 29: "Mystery cults: Eleusinian Mysteries, Orphic mysteries, Dionysiac rites [^2]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Period: ~800 BCE – ~400 CE (suppressed under Christianity)" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Type: Polytheistic" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Sacred sites: Olympia, Delphi, Eleusis, Delos" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Key texts: Homer's *Iliad* and *Odyssey*, Hesiod's *Theogony*" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 16: "Zeus: King of the gods, sky and thunder" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Hera: Queen of the gods, marriage" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Athena: Wisdom and warfare" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Apollo: Sun, music, prophecy" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Artemis: Hunt and wilderness" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 21: "Poseidon: Sea and earthquakes" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "Aphrodite: Love and beauty" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 26: "Animal sacrifice at altars" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 27: "Panhellenic festivals: Olympic Games (776 BCE–), Pythian Games, Eleusinian ..." - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 28: "Oracle at Delphi: Pythia delivered prophecies from Apollo" - what is the source?
> Burkert (1985) [^1], Mikalson (2010) [^2]
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 23: "Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Demeter, Dionysus [^1]" - Burkert source from 1985 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Burkert (1985) findings are still accepted by modern classicists.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 29: "Mystery cults: Eleusinian Mysteries, Orphic mysteries, Dionysiac rites [^2]" - Mikalson source from 2010 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Mikalson (2010) findings are still accepted by modern classicists.