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EnglandClassical Civilisation

Greek Religion (Beliefs and Ideas)

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What did the Greeks believe about death and the afterlife, and how did they honour the dead?

Greek Religion: Greek beliefs about death and the afterlife (the underworld, Hades, the shades), funerary ritual and the care of the dead, the importance of proper burial, and hero cult as a distinctive honouring of the dead.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/31) study of death and the afterlife in Greek religion. Covers beliefs about the underworld and the shades, funerary ritual and the care of the dead, the importance of proper burial, and hero cult, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
17 min answer →

What was the purpose of Greek religious festivals, and how did they bind the community to the gods?

Greek Religion: the nature and purpose of religious festivals, the great Athenian and Panhellenic festivals (the Panathenaia, the City Dionysia and the Olympic Games), their components (procession, sacrifice, competition), and their religious and civic functions.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/31) study of Greek religious festivals. Covers the purpose and components of festivals (procession, sacrifice, competition), the Panathenaia, the City Dionysia and the Olympic Games, and their religious and civic functions, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →

How did the Greeks communicate with the gods through oracles, divination and the mysteries?

Greek Religion: the means of communicating with the divine, including oracles (especially Delphi), other forms of divination (omens, dreams, seers), and the mystery cults (especially the Eleusinian Mysteries) and the more personal religion they offered.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/31) study of oracles, divination and the mysteries. Covers the oracle of Apollo at Delphi and its procedure, other forms of divination (omens, dreams, seers), and the Eleusinian Mysteries and the personal religion they offered, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →

What made a space sacred in Greek religion, and how did temples and sanctuaries express belief?

Greek Religion: the concept of sacred space (temenos, altar, sanctuary), the form and function of the Greek temple, the great sanctuaries at Delphi and Olympia, and the religious meaning of temple architecture and sculpture such as the Parthenon.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/31) study of sacred space and temples. Covers the concept of the temenos and altar, the form and function of the Greek temple, the great sanctuaries at Delphi and Olympia, and the religious meaning of temple architecture and sculpture such as the Parthenon, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →

How did the Greeks worship their gods through sacrifice, prayer and ritual?

Greek Religion: the central acts of worship, including animal sacrifice (thysia), libations, prayer and votive offerings, the procedures and meaning of these rituals, and religion in the home and the polis.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/31) study of Greek religious ritual. Covers animal sacrifice (thysia) and its procedure, libations, prayer and votive offerings, the meaning of these acts, and religion in the home and the polis, using sources such as the Nausicaa Painter sacrifice vase, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →

What were the Greek gods like, and how did mortals understand their relationship with them?

Greek Religion: the nature of the gods (Olympian and chthonic, anthropomorphic), their powers and spheres, the reciprocal relationship between gods and mortals, and the philosophical challenges to traditional belief from thinkers such as Xenophanes.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/31) study of the nature of the Greek gods. Covers the anthropomorphic Olympians and chthonic deities, their powers and spheres, the reciprocal do ut des relationship between gods and mortals, and philosophical critiques from Xenophanes, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →