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EnglandClassical Civilisation

Myth and Religion: Temples and Festivals

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What happened at the great Greek and Roman religious festivals, and why did they matter to the city?

Major Greek and Roman festivals (such as the Panathenaia, the City Dionysia, the Lupercalia and the Saturnalia): their rituals, processions, competitions and feasting, their religious purpose, and their role in binding the community together.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of festivals in Myth and Religion. Covers major Greek and Roman festivals such as the Panathenaia, the City Dionysia, the Lupercalia and the Saturnalia, their rituals, processions, competitions and feasting, their religious purpose, and their role in binding the community together, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
16 min answer →

How was religion woven into the public life of Athens and Rome, and who ran it?

The role of religion in the public life of Athens and Rome, the nature and duties of priests and priestesses and how they were chosen, and the place of religion in civic identity, including the link between the gods and the well-being of the city.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of religion in civic life in Myth and Religion. Covers the role of religion in the public life of Athens and Rome, the nature, selection and duties of priests and priestesses, and how religion expressed civic identity and protected the well-being of the city, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
16 min answer →

How did Roman temples develop the Greek model, and what did they reveal about Roman religion?

Roman temples and religious architecture: how Roman temples drew on but differed from Greek ones (the high podium, frontal steps and deep porch), their location in the forum and city, key examples such as the Maison Carree and the Pantheon, and what they reveal about Roman religion and power.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Roman temples in Myth and Religion. Covers how Roman temples drew on but differed from Greek ones (the podium, frontal steps and deep porch), their location in the forum, examples such as the Maison Carree and the Pantheon, and what they reveal about Roman religion and power, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
16 min answer →

How did the Greeks and Romans actually worship their gods through sacrifice, prayer and offerings?

The practice of worship: the procedure and purpose of animal sacrifice, libations and other offerings, the role of prayer, and votive offerings, and what these rituals reveal about the relationship between gods and worshippers.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of worship in Myth and Religion. Covers the procedure and purpose of animal sacrifice, libations and other offerings, the role of prayer, and votive offerings, and what these rituals reveal about the relationship between gods and worshippers, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
16 min answer →

What made a space sacred to the Greeks and Romans, and how did temples express their religion?

The concept of sacred space (the sanctuary and altar), the form, function and location of the Greek and Roman temple, its key architectural features (columns, cella, pediment, the orders), and the religious meaning of temples such as the Parthenon.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of temples and sacred space in Myth and Religion. Covers the sanctuary and altar, the form, function and location of the Greek and Roman temple, its architectural features (columns, cella, pediment, the Doric and Ionic orders), and the religious meaning of temples such as the Parthenon, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
17 min answer →