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.

What this dot point is asking

Greek worship happened in sacred space. For this option you must understand the concept of the temenos and altar, the form and function of the Greek temple, the great Panhellenic sanctuaries at Delphi and Olympia, and the religious meaning of temple architecture and sculpture, above all the Parthenon. The paper tests precise knowledge (AO1), analysis and evaluation of material sources (AO2 and AO3) and your own argument.

The answer

Sacred space: the temenos and altar

The Greek temple: the house of the god

The temple had a distinctive form and function:

• It was understood as the house of the god, built to shelter the cult statue, not as a hall for congregational worship.
• The statue stood in an inner room, the cella (naos), usually surrounded by a colonnade of columns in the Doric or Ionic order.
• Crucially, worship happened outside, at the altar in front of the temple, since sacrifice needed open air for the smoke to rise; ordinary worshippers did not gather inside.
• Temples were richly decorated with sculpture (pediments, metopes, friezes) that carried religious and civic meaning.

The Parthenon as a case study

The great Panhellenic sanctuaries

Beyond individual cities, Panhellenic sanctuaries drew worshippers from across the Greek world:

• Delphi, the sanctuary of Apollo, home of the famous oracle, with the temple of Apollo, altars, and the treasuries dedicated by competing cities.
• Olympia, the sanctuary of Zeus, site of the Olympic Games, with the great temple of Zeus (housing one of the wonders of the world, the statue of Zeus), the altar and the stadium.

These sanctuaries show religion operating at a level above the individual polis, uniting Greeks in shared worship while also providing an arena for cities to display their wealth and rivalry.

Examples in context

A strong essay on temples would argue they were both houses for the gods and statements of civic pride, fusing the religious and the civic.

Try this

Q1. Explain the religious importance of a Panhellenic sanctuary such as Delphi or Olympia. You must refer to specific examples. [10 marks]

• What the marker wants. AO1 with AO3: describe the sanctuary (the temple, altar and treasuries; the oracle at Delphi or the Games at Olympia) and explain how it united Greeks in shared worship above the level of the individual city.

Q2. 'The sculpture of a Greek temple mattered more than the building itself.' To what extent do you agree? [marked out of 20; real H408/31 tariff is 30]

• Cue. Argue both sides: the sculptural programmes carried rich religious and civic meaning, but the temple's form (housing the god, beside the altar) was the heart of its function. Reach a judgement supported by named features.