The Ancient Greek gods

Zeus

Zeus ruled the sky.

He is the supreme ruler of

mount Olympus and of the

gods who lived there.

His symbols are the scepter,

the eagle and his aegis.

He was married to Hera.

Hera

She was the goddess of

Marriage and of childbirth.

The peacock, the goose and the

cuckoo were scared to her.

Her symbols are the diadem

and the veil, showing that she

is Zeus bride.

Hades

He was the Greek god of

the underworld, the realm

of the dead.

He was also the god of the

hidden wealth of the

earth.

His symbols were the

helmet, metals and jewels.

Demeter

She was the goddess of

vegetation and fruitfulness.

She was especially associated with

corn.

She possessed mysterious powers

of growth and even resurrection.

She was the mother of

Persephone.

Poseidon

He was the Greek god of the

sea, of earthquakes and of

horses.

He was often seen with his

golden trident, a weapon

capable of creating sudden,

violent storms.

He was particularly associated

with horses and bulls.

He was married to the sea

nymph Amphrite.

Hestia

She was the goddess of the

home and the hearth.

She was the daughter of

Cronos and Rhea.

She eventually gave up her

Olympian throne to Dionysus,

to keep peace.

Aphrodite

She was the goddess of Love,

Beauty and eternal youth.

Her symbols were the girdle, the

seashell and the mirror.

Her scared animal was the dove.

Apollo

He was the god of the sun,

the light, the music and the

prophecy.

He is the son of Zeus and the

Titaness Leto.

His symbols are the lyre, the

tripod, the laurel tree and the

navel stone.

Artemis

She was the Greek goddess of

hunting, of the wild and of wild

animals.

She was also the protector of the

girl up to the age of marriage.

She was often shown armed with

silver bows and arrows.

Her symbols were the stag and the

moon.

She was the older twin of Apollo.

Athena

She was the goddess of

wisdom, war, the defense of

towns, heroic endeavors

and of crafts, such as

pottery and weaving.

She is the daughter of Zeus

and Metis.

She was born fully grown

and armed out of the head

of her father.

Her symbols were the owl,

the shield and the olive

branch.

Persephone

She was the goddess of Spring

growth and innocence.

She was also the goddess of the

underworld.

She was abducted by hades to be his

wife, by the time she was allowed to

go back she had already eaten a

handful of pomegranete seeds and

was forced to stay part of the year

with her mother and part in the

underworld. When ever she was in

the underworld her mother

mourned for her, creating seasons.

Dionysus

He was the god of wine,

ecstasy and vegetation.

His was the son of Zeus and

Semele (a princess)

His symbols included the

thyros (a pine cone tipped

staff), a drinking cup,

leopard and a fruiting vine.

Ares

The god of war, civil order

and manly courage.

He was the son of Zeus and

Hera.

His symbols were the spear

and the helmet.

Hermes

He was the god of roads,

travel, hospitality, thievery,

trade, language, writing,

persuasion, astronomy,

astrology and animal herds.

He was the son of Zeus and

Maia ( the eldest of the

Pleiades)

His symbols were his herald,

winged boots and a winged

travelers cap.

Hephaestus

He was the Greek smith god

He was also the god of fire, metal

working, stone masonry and the

art of the sculpture.

He was usually shown as a

bearded man, holding hammer

and tongs and riding a donkey.

He was married to Aphrodite.

The Ancient Greek Olympics

One of the many events of the

Olympics is wrestling. Some of

the other events are running,

chariot races, and boxing.

Women had Olympics every

four years and the only race

they had was running races.

In every race except the

chariot race the contesters

were dressed naked.

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Ancient Greek music

Pan pipes

Pan pipes are known now as a

modern flute.

Aulos

The aulos is divided into four

sections, it is a wind instrument,

and is a lot like a recorder, to

ancient Greece it is considered

the instrument of healing.

Ancient Greek food and dining

Greeks mainly drank watered

down wine but milk was rarely

drunk because it was considered

barbaric. Milk was used for cheese

production. Water was another

common drink.

The Greek’s mainly ate wheat,

barley, millet, wine and olive oil.

They grew vegetables especially

lentils, beans and peas.

Greeks didn’t use any eating

utensils, so they ate with their

hands. They used bread to scoop

out thick soups. Bread was also

used to clean hands.

Ancient Greece: Sparta

Sparta is a Greek city that

was a strong city state in

Archaic Ages (800 to 500m

BC).

They were trained to be

soldiers, loyal to the state,

strong and self disciplined.

When a Spartan boy was

born, soldiers came to

examine the boy carefully to

determine his strength. If the

boy was not strong enough

they took him to the hillside

and left him there to die. The

girls were forced to live a

healthy life so they could

have healthy children.

Ancient Greek Architecture

There were three main styles of Greek architecture

The Doric

The Ionic

And The Corinthian

The Doric was a more plain and formal design.

The Ionic was a more elaborate and had scroll like designs on its capital.

The Corinthian was a more ornate later development of the Ionic. It was

mainly found in Roman temples but also in Greece.

The Parthenon was a large temple dedicated to Athena at the Acropolis

in Athens. This is an example of the Doric order.

This is the Temple of Athena Nike it was also in the Acropolis in Athens. This is

an example of the Ionic order.