Approaching Greek Religion

Whilst looking at approaching the topic of Greek religion, I felt it would be appropriate to look at an example of a famous work relating to two of the most famous Greek gods. Pictured (right) Poseidon and (left) Athena it is possible to distinguish these deities by their created charaterstics. The two of these deities are often pictured together, their relationship is formed around a rivalry of the once unnamed city in Attica (more recntly known as Athens). The vase painting is one illustrating a disscussion between the two over the rivalry of Athens. When exploring this topic of the rivalry we can see the origin of Greek religion, what attributes the Greek people were looking for in a God to represent and worship. In this instance -Athena becomes the god who is chosen to represent the main city in Attica, henceforth Athens, it is possible to see the full story at this website http://151.12.58.141/virtualexhibition/contest.html. The contest to decide was one of gift giving on which Poseidon produces a spring of sea water against Athena's olive tree. We can see on the vase painting how this contest is portrayed through the Greeks use of certain characteristics (vines of the olive tree and Poseidon's trident). This is one way of assessing the Greeks methods of recognising an Olympian in their religious practices. When approaching this module I considered the ways that I should approach the topic, the introductory session highlighted some of the main ways we recognise the Greek's looked at religion. It was in Parker's ideas that I felt best summed up the way we should approach the study of Greek religion
"We know too much, and too little. The materials that bear on it far outreach an individual's capacity to assimilate: so many casual allusions in so many literary texts over more than a millennium, so many direct or indirect references in so many inscriptions from so many places in the Greek world, such an overwhelming abundance of physical remains." (Parker:4)
Parker is alluding to the reality of the quest to ascertain knowledge of Greek religion. Suggesting thus, the scholarly debate surrounding the studies are well informed by evidence, nevertheless it has such an abundance of evidence that it is hard to grasp the true nature of the importance of Greek religion. This sums up the way I felt when leaving the introductory session that the study of Greek religion is more muddied than I felt at first having pre conceptual ideas. This is also evident in examples such as the vase painting of Poseidon and Athena, when we look at the numerous ways of interpreting the source. The blogs following this approach to Greek religion will look at the main links that have come about through the study, looking in to the influences it has had on Greek life and the ways in which the Greek cults have been expanded. However, it is hard to draw hypothesise on the extent to which Greek religion had on the people as we are assessing it through mainly modern Christianised eyes.


Parker, R (2011) 'On Greek Religion' Cornell Studies in Classical Philosophy pg.4-5
Story on Athena and Poseidon 'http://151.12.58.141/virtualexhibition/contest.html'