Classics: Year 9 Term 1: The Naming Of Athens, Theseus & Greek Religion

• KING CECROPS built the city of Athens. It was so beautiful that even the gods were in awe of it, and all wanted to become its patron.
• After a meeting on Olympus, all the gods dropped out of the race but ATHENE and POSEIDON. Zeus declared that to decide who should become the city’s patron, each god should give a useful gift to the mortals (CECROPS would be the judge).
• Athene presented an OLIVE TREE, which could be used for food, oil and wood.
• Poseidon presented a SALTWATER SPRING, signifying the city’s closeness to the sea (5 miles away) and that he would let them become great seafarers.
• The olive tree was decided to be the winner, since the saltwater was not useful. The city was, henceforth, known as ATHENS and Athene watched over it.

• AEGUS was King of Athens and the father of Theseus.
• PITTHEUS was King of Troezen, host to Aegus and father to Aethra.
• AETHRA was Theseus’ mother, possessed by Poseidon.

Pittheus wanted Aethra to have a child with Aegus to form an alliance. He got Aegus drunk and the two went to bed together. In the night, Aethra had a dream sent from Athene and went down the the sea, where she was possessed by Poseidon.

Shortly after, Aethra discovered that she was with child and was left by Aegus, who told her to get their son to lift a heavy rock and take his sword and sandals when he was grown to claim his birthright of being King of Athens.

Name - Signature Crime - How Defeated

Procrustes - Stretching people or cutting off their feet so they could fit on his bed - Theseus chopped his feet, arms and head off after forcing him into his own bed.

Periphetes - Killing people with a club - Theseus dodged the blows, took the club and whacked him in the head.

Sinis - Ripping people in half with bent pine trees - Theseus tricked him into getting into the trees himself.

Crommyonian Sow - Goring people to death - Theseus stabbed it in the throat.

Cercyon - Wrestling people to death - Theseus broke his neck after wrestling him.

Scrion - Asked people to wash his feet then threw them off of the cliff to his turtle - Theseus whacked him with the washbasin then threw him off the cliff to be eaten.

As King of Athens

• Theseus created a DEMOCRACY of Athens and the surrounding towns.
• He introduced the PANATHENEIC GAMES
• He built a new town hall
• He made Athens known and it was more equal than other places

As Remembered Hero

• Athens remembered him as a DEMIGOD and WAR HERO
• Athenians claimed to be rallied by his ghost before the Battle of Marathon with the Babylonians
• He was credited with uniting Athens and Attica

• The gods communicated in a MANTIC way, sending signs in nature
• They were worshipped as a „deal“ to get something IN RETURN
• They were ANTHROPOMORPHIC (had human characteristics)
• „Religion“ (RELIGIO) meant CORRECT WORSHIP of the gods
• „Hiera“ meant HOLY AFFAIRS.

Modern Western (Abrahamic) Religion | Ancient Greek Religion

Monotheistic | Polytheistic

Follows/sets out rules | No laws/rules, little organised worship

Requires faith | Gods “had” to exist, that was “how it is”

Holy scriptures/word of God | No holy book or scriptural communication

One eternal God of everything | God said of different things, who were born, are immortal but can be killed

Omnipresent, Omnibenevolent, Omniscient, Omnipotent | Flawed, individual & anthropomorphic

Private prayer important | Communal temple worship & sacrifice

Talk through priests | Priests could communicate with gods and give prophecies