In a Classical Mood, Part I
Posted by Kushana Torumekia at 4/23/2008 12:35 AM 
Categories: Mt. Lykaion, Pausanias, Crete, Classics, sacrifice, Minoan, Jupiter, Paganism, Greece, Bull, Zeus, Arcadia, Greek Religion
Categories: Mt. Lykaion, Pausanias, Crete, Classics, sacrifice, Minoan, Jupiter, Paganism, Greece, Bull, Zeus, Arcadia, Greek Religion
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If you know the stories from the great polytheistic religions (Egyptian, Hindu, Greek or Roman) you probably think of them as being set: the pantheon, the roles and attributes of the gods and goddesses, their deeds, their marriages and children .... in the study of the history of each of these religions, scholars learn that each of these things changed and developed. Over time human ideas about religion always change: a city can acquire a new divine patron, new theological ideas develop (or are borrowed or adapted from neighboring religions), ideas about the divine change to address the changing circumstances and requirements of their human adherents.
That said, learning about changes in the great polytheistic traditions always takes me a bit more by surprise than learning about changes in the great monotheistic ones. I've studied the traditions with one deity longer, maybe, and have become used to the idea that each of those traditions developed. Religions with many deities tend to think and develop in somewhat different ways: they are less likely than monotheism to latch on to the idea that there is one right way (although they can be extraordinarily exacting about doing ritual correctly), that trait alters how they respond to theological competition, to pick one example. That said, the history of religion is the same field, no matter how many deities (or none) a religion has.
An example of change in ancient Greek religion:
The fact that the ash altar to Zeus includes early material dating back to 3000 BCE suggests that the tradition of devotion to some divinity on that spot is very ancient. The altar is long standing and may in fact pre-date the introduction of Zeus in the Greek world. We don’t yet know how the altar was first used, and whether it was used in connection with natural phenomena such as wind, rain, light or earthquakes, possibly to worship some kind of divinity male or female or a personification representing forces of nature. - Dr. Romano, the dig director
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123114601.htm
The idea that Zeus arrived in Greece and that he was proceeded by an unnamed nature deity is a wonderful and mind-bending idea. (Although, I imagine, no surprise to Classicists: forgive me, I try to keep up with as much as I can but there is far, far too much to follow.)
Updates: http://tinyurl.com/addckk & http://tinyurl.com/b6knxs
-Kushana
That said, learning about changes in the great polytheistic traditions always takes me a bit more by surprise than learning about changes in the great monotheistic ones. I've studied the traditions with one deity longer, maybe, and have become used to the idea that each of those traditions developed. Religions with many deities tend to think and develop in somewhat different ways: they are less likely than monotheism to latch on to the idea that there is one right way (although they can be extraordinarily exacting about doing ritual correctly), that trait alters how they respond to theological competition, to pick one example. That said, the history of religion is the same field, no matter how many deities (or none) a religion has.
An example of change in ancient Greek religion:
The fact that the ash altar to Zeus includes early material dating back to 3000 BCE suggests that the tradition of devotion to some divinity on that spot is very ancient. The altar is long standing and may in fact pre-date the introduction of Zeus in the Greek world. We don’t yet know how the altar was first used, and whether it was used in connection with natural phenomena such as wind, rain, light or earthquakes, possibly to worship some kind of divinity male or female or a personification representing forces of nature. - Dr. Romano, the dig director
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123114601.htm
The idea that Zeus arrived in Greece and that he was proceeded by an unnamed nature deity is a wonderful and mind-bending idea. (Although, I imagine, no surprise to Classicists: forgive me, I try to keep up with as much as I can but there is far, far too much to follow.)
Updates: http://tinyurl.com/addckk
-Kushana
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