Greco-Roman Archaeology

[the-ascended.livejournal.com]

Daniel smiled at the class. "Good morning," he said. "Following on from Roman religion, let's look at one of it's strongest influences... Greek religion.

The Ancient Greeks were also polytheistic. They believed that these gods and goddesses controlled everything, from the waves in the ocean to the winner of a race. Each god or goddess controlled one or two major aspects of life. Greeks built temples in every town for one god or goddess. Temples were large and beautiful buildings where Greeks went to pray or sacrifice animals. The sacrificed animals were considered gifts to the gods. Greeks were especially likely to sacrifice animals at festivals in honor of the gods. The festivals included plays, music, dancing, and then a parade to the temple where they made their sacrifices and had a feast. One temple still standing today is the Parthenon, built in honor of Athena, who was the goddess of wisdom and war.

What else can anyone tell me about the Ancient Greeks and religion?

"For homework, I'm going to assign you each a god found in either the Greek or Roman pantheon.... sometimes both. I want you to write me at least one hundred words on them for Tuesday, please.

Sonia Belmont - Minerva
Thomasina Coverley - Janus
Phoebe Halliwell - Proserpina
Medusa St Clair - Pan
Kara Thrace - Apollo

Any questions?"

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Homework - Proserpina

[sensethevisions]

Proserpina was the Roman Goddess of the Spring who was kidnapped by Pluto to be his bride in the Underworld. To Greeks she was known as Persephone.

Proserpina was often equated with emergence and the Winter fading into Springtime as she had to spend at least six months out of the year down in the Underworld with her husband.

Proserpina was in Sicily, at the fountain of Aretusa near Enna, where she was playing with some nymphs and collecting flowers, when Pluto came out from the volcano Etna with four black horses. He abducted her in order to marry her and live with her in Hades, the Greek Underworld, of which he was the ruler. Notably, Pluto was also her uncle, being Jupiter's (and Ceres's) brother. She is therefore Queen of the Underworld.

Her mother Ceres, the goddess of cereals or of the Earth, vainly went looking for her in any corner of the Earth, but wasn't able to find anything but a small belt that was floating upon a little lake (made with the tears of the nymphs). In her desperation Ceres angrily stopped the growth of fruits and vegetables, bestowing a malediction on Sicily. Ceres refused to go back to Mount Olympus and started walking on the Earth, making a desert at every step.

Worried, Jupiter sent Mercury to order Pluto (Jupiter's brother) to free Proserpina. Pluto obeyed, but before letting her go, he made her eat six pomegranate seeds (a symbol of fidelity in marriage) so she would have to live six months of each year with him, and stay the rest with her mother. So this is the reason for Springtime: when Proserpina comes back to her mother, Ceres decorates the Earth with welcoming flowers, but when in Fall she has to go back to Hades, nature loses any colour.

The myth of Proserpina, mainly described by the Roman Claudianus (4th century AD) is closely connected with that of Orpheus and Eurydice — it is Proserpina, as Queen of Hades, who allows Orpheus enter and bring back to life his wife Eurydice who is dead by snake poison. Proserpina played her cetra to quiet Cerberus, but Orpheus did not respect her order never to look back, and Eurydice was lost.

Proserpina has a soft heart and is more sympathetic to those that lose loved ones to the underworld. However, it would be wise not to try to exploit that sympathy because she can be just as firm and angry as her husband.