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Greek culture. -Despite the fact that Greeks were divided into city-states, there were many aspects of Greek culture that united the city-states and made them all consider themselves “Greeks”. Some of these cultural aspects were mythology, Olympics, and theatre. . mythology.
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Greek culture -Despite the fact that Greeks were divided into city-states, there were many aspects of Greek culture that united the city-states and made them all consider themselves “Greeks”. Some of these cultural aspects were mythology, Olympics, and theatre.
mythology Because the ancient Greeks believed in many gods, they were considered to be polytheistic. These many gods were at the center of Greek mythology, which is defined as a body of stories about gods and heroes that try to explain how the world works. Each story, or myth, explained natural or historical events.
Mythology The keep the gods happy, the Greeks built great temples to honor the gods. In return, they expected help and protection. One such temple was located at Delphi. This temple was dedicated to the god Apollo. Greeks would visit this particular location for advice. There they spoke to the oracle, a female priest of Apollo to whom they thought the god gave answers.
mythology Not all Greek myths were about gods. Many told about the adventures of great heroes. One such hero was a man named Theseus who had apparently traveled to the island of Crete and killed the Minotaur, a monster that was half human and half bull. Another famous Greek hero was a man named Hercules, who had fought many monsters and performed nearly impossible tasks.
mythology Greek heroes were also incorporated in long poems called epics. The two most famous are the Iliad and the Odyssey , by the Greek poet Homer. The Iliad describes the last years of the Trojan War and focuses on the deeds of the Greek hero Achilles. The Odyssey describes the Greek hero Odysseus and the challenges he faces on his way home from the war.
olympics One way the Greeks honored the gods was by holding sporting contests. These events became known as the Olympic Games. Greece was the birthplace of the Olympics. The games were held every four years in the city of Olympia.
olympics Only men were allowed to compete in the games. Some examples of the types of events were footraces, chariot races, boxing, wrestling, and throwing events.
theatre The Greeks also held festivals to honor the gods. Greek theatre developed as a part of these festivals. The earliest plays in Athens honored Dionysus. Most of the plays told stories of Greek gods and heroes. They combined religion and history with entertainment. Three types of plays were tragedies, comedies and satires.
theatre Tragedies were sad stories in which the hero was brought to ruin by a flaw in his character. Comedies were stories that made fun of a wide range of topics, from politics to everyday life. Satires were plays that made fun of mortal legends and real people.
theatre Greek amphitheaters were called theatrons. The actors in these plays usually played several roles. Despite having great acoustics, the actors mastered hand gestures so that everyone could follow the story regardless of what they could hear. The most famous Greek playwright was a man named Sophocles.
