26-10-2006
What aspects of Greek religion were significant in
the development of the Greek polis?
The Greeks were a polytheistic society who were
deeply religious. Different areas over Greece often concentrated on different
gods whom they thought to be their local or more important deity. They had a
god for pretty much every aspect of everyday life. Before the polis, the Greek
religion was probably a simplistic pagan one where each area praying to their
own god alone.[1]
I would think that basic pagan gods were worshipped and throughout time a myth
grew around their stories, and eventually connected the god’s up to family
trees that now exist. The evidence for this in my view is that all the gods are
in their physical prime (even though some are fathers and sisters and mothers
to each other) although this maybe a show of perfection for the worshippers.
Although one god is usually favoured amongst others in regions, there is a
hierarchy that exists when the basis of the “religion” (the Greeks did not see
it as such) is better established. The twelve main gods (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon,
Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes, Dionysus and
Demeter) are recognised by all Greeks, but there is no universal truth about
too much else The basis of Greek religion revolved around a few things;
building grand temples, animal sacrifice, offerings, honouring and prayer.
Before
the polis in the early Dark Age, all that existed were small settlements with
no society as such except very basic trade. The polis which just means
city-states (cities that governed themselves) is the ancestor of today’s cities
and even countries. By definition, a polis is not a geographical or territorial
unity, but a religious, social and political one. Religion gave a story for the
identity, past and geography of the polis. [2]A
sizeable polis is usually centred around an acropolis, which were basically the
core of the cities where they grow around. One of the better known examples is
the Acropolis of Athens. They are usually situated higher up mountains for
initial defence purposes. A typical polis had at least one temple and we can
already see religion coming into play. Since worship before a temple or common
place of worship was at home where gods could not be so easily publicised to
each other, the significance of religion would have been weaker. As soon as
temples came into play, a social network and moral code was made. In ancient
Greece, temples were more about the gods and we can see that Greeks took great
pride in their work as temples were often extremely lavish and even rebuilt to
increase the aesthetics. Sacrifices and other social events at a temple set
goals and helped to integrate people into the community allow it to flourish
into a more social and eventually political power. Rituals help to solidify the
society’s social basis.
A big
part of the Greek society is athletics and art. The basis of both these acts is
in pleasing the gods. Every grand festival and games held were to tribute the
gods. For example, the Olympian Games are to honour Zeus and Pelops (mythical
king of Olympia).
"One
aspect of increasing solidarity was a stronger cohesion among those who bore
arms.... But despite its general implications, warfare, as well as the exercise
of power that went with it, was the business of only a small fraction of
society....The creation of political organs that institutionalized new modes of
exercising public authority could in itself achieve nothing unless it was
backed up by a social body whose motives and desire for unity were inspired by
something other than war....religion was the only agent to effect the entire
social body....It signalled the emergence of a society that seemed to acquire
self-awareness as it retook possession of the past by endowing it with a sacred
character....It was thus through religious life that a new kind of social body
was gradually to take shape...."[3] As Francois de Polignac says, religion can be
seen as the vehicle for a thriving new society to grow around. The creation of
a polis was helped strongly by the worship of the same god in a region. A
society is more likely to spring up between people with the same beliefs and
this is what happened. The tribes of Athens came to join together as they
shared religious ceremonies, and so the regional loyalty was reduced.[4]
It was also probably a political advantage as you can be united under your god
(e.g. Athens under Athena) and “laws” can be passed for what the gods desired. For
example, the Pisitratide regime used to promote cults in the common people to
weaken the power of the aristocrats. The fact that each polis had their own
deities for protection, their own unique customs and festivals, means that they
were differentiated from other any other polis, but also united within their
own polis.
Despite
all these points for religion being significant in the development of the
polis, we must not forget all the other reasons for a city state, like the
social and political. A polis is far more efficient than a spread of isolated
settlements, or even, for the time, a country. A polis was a manageable size in
which political and other experimentation could take place.
We come
to what particular aspects of religion may have been particularly important in
the creation and maintaining of the polis. The Oracle at Delphi (Pyhthia)
probably provided a basis for leaders to come to for guidance. This source was
obviously infallible, so it connected people under the leader in this way.
Lycurgus of Sparta sought the oracle for help was told to write the
constitutional laws which the people were behind since it came from the word of
the oracle. If the oracle were to say a god was angry and a city would be under
their wrath unless they performed a certain task, again the people would be
united. The oracle certainly helped to bring the people of Greece together.
The priests of temples had a lot of power in
Ancient Greece. As a priest was ‘an assistant to a divinity’[5],
they had a lot of say and could override government laws if they so wished to.
The basis
of a polis is that a relatively small number of people are united under a rule.
To do this, you need patriotism and a common cause. This was provided by the
many aspects of the Greek religion in pleasing gods. The Olympic Games are a
perfect example. They have the people of a polis united in rivalry, but not
with another polis which would hold off the thought of empires and countries.
Since the
development of the polis was in the earlier archaic period, all evidence is
questionable. There are often myths surrounding the creation of a polis
involving oracles and the gods, used by the cities to glorify their ancestry.
This while making the evidence unreliable does prove the point that religion
was an important enough factor to base the grand beginnings of the city.
As
well as religion helping with the founding of the polis, the eventuality is
that the polis provides a basis for the religion to operate. Three outlines on
how the polis provides a framework for religion is outlines by Carrie Dobbs; 1.
the polis interacted with other poleis and with the Panhellenic religious
dimension/ usually done in Amphictionies or Leagues. 2. Religious participation
was only for the citizens of the community which articulated the religion. 3.
If you visited the sacra of
another polis you could only participate as a xenos (foreigner). [6]
Essentially because the specifics of the religion was for a certain polis only,
you find identity within your polis, which is not necessarily a point of how
religion developed the polis, but more a point of how religion continues to
develop a polis.
To
conclude, Greek religion played a big part in the creation of the Greek polis.
The main aspects of the religion that brought about the change concerned things
that united people, whether under a common cause, under fear or under similar
beliefs and practices. This helped to unite people, but only within a smaller
area and therefore create a polis. Only a polytheistic religion than concerned
areas with their own favourite gods could have created a city-state. A
monotheistic religion would have edged towards a larger scale unity such as a
country.
Bibliography
Carrie Dobbs on Christiane
Sourvinou-Inwood's Chapter in OXFORD READINGS IN GREEK RELIGION, 2/28/02
Francois de Polignac, Cults, Territory, and the Origins of the
Greek City State (trans. Janet
Lloyd, Chicago, 1995). 151-152
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_religion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polis
[1]
www.wikipedia.org/ancient_greek_religion
[2] Carrie Dobbs on Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood's Chapter
in OXFORD READINGS
[3] Francois
de Polignac, Cults, Territory, and the
Origins of the Greek
City State
[4]
www.wpunj.edu/~history/study/edelciv1.htm
[5]
www.fjkluth.com/religion.html
[6] Carrie Dobbs on Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood's Chapter
in OXFORD READINGS
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