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Did the Ancient Greek Gods Exist?

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Did the Ancient Greek Gods Exist?
Did the Ancient Greek Gods exist?
The Ancient Greeks regarded their religion and mythology with much respect and loyalty. Although the Ancient Greek Gods are now seen as an explanation created by man, for natural forces and the world around us, there has been much evidence both for and against the debate that these Gods were real. The Greeks believed that the Earth was created with the birth of Gaia, or Mother Earth, from the dark void known as Chaos. It was believed that Gods were all-powerful giants and heroes, who were responsible for our creation. The Olympians were a younger race of Gods led by Zeus, who eventually overthrew the formidable Titans, led by Zeus’ tyrannical father Cronus. Once in power, the Olympians, named after their home Mount Olympus, were each given certain responsibilities and powers over natural forces and aspects of life. Such as the sky, ocean, death and war. Many have debated that the Gods have made their presence clear, through their influencing and intervening with our history and punishments that they have cast upon us. Whereas others argue that they were mere stories told to inspire others, teach morals and explain the unknown.

The mythology of the Gods were mainly passed on through stories and supported with archaeological evidence, the main literary account was by Homer and his two epic poems. Although they mainly accounted for the events surrounding the Trojan War, they include much proof on the impact and influence the Gods had on Ancient Greek history. In Homer’s epic poem Illiad, Zeus is shown sending Agamemnon a false dream, thus influencing his military decisions during the Trojan war in an attempt to depopulate the Earth. Although the existence of Agamemnon cannot be proven, the city of Troy can be. The archaeological ruins of the city can be found in what is now known as Turkey and shows signs of being destroyed and rebuilt several times, most likely due to an earthquake and even a war, from which there was evidence

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