Ancient Greek Religion: The Role Of The Gods In Ancient Greece

The ancient Greeks worshipped more than a dozen gods, with a distinctive god controlling every aspect of their lives. ¨Ancient Greek religion has been the subject of speculation and research from classic times to the present.¨ Although the ancient Greeks worshipped many gods, there were twelve main gods known as the Olympians. These gods may have held great power and authority, however they were depicted as looking like ordinary men and women. Though ancient Greek religion is no longer practiced, it was significant to the ancient Greeks, and influenced their lives constantly; they looked to the gods for the answers to their problems, honored them with sacrifices and held festivals such as the Olympics, to please them. The ancient Greeks to the gods for answers to a
The Olympics were held every four years, and though they were regarded as pleasing to all of the gods, they were primarily held to honor Zeus, the king of the gods. Competitions in music, literature, and athleticism were held in Olympia, at the base of Mt. Olympus where the gods were able to comfortably watch (Lesley Adkins Page 335). Mt. Olympus was considered the home of the gods and was where they were believed to have resided. The Olympics lasted for a total of five days, during which feasts, sacrifices, and games were held to honor the gods. The gods were believed to be pleased with whoever won, and the winner would receive a crown of olive branches as a reward. Due to the importance of the Olympics, wars and other battles were even postponed for up to three months so that people could safely travel to and from the games. All of this was done to please the gods and honor them. Honoring the gods was essential to the ancient Greeks, resulting in festivals such as the Olympics being held to celebrate and pay tribute to