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ScotlandClassical StudiesQuick questions
Life in Classical Greece
Quick questions on Greek religion and the gods - SQA National 5 Classical Studies
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are the Olympian gods?Show answer
The Greeks were polytheistic, worshipping a family of gods led by Zeus and based, in myth, on Mount Olympus. Each god had areas of responsibility: Athena for wisdom and Athens itself, Poseidon for the sea and earthquakes, Apollo for prophecy, healing and music, Demeter for the harvest, and many others. Crucially, the gods were pictured as having human forms and human feelings, so they could be pleased or offended. This shaped worship: the aim was to honour the gods and avoid their anger, since they could bring success or disaster.
What is worship?Show answer
The heart of worship was sacrifice. An animal was killed at an altar and offered to a god, often with parts burned for the god and the rest cooked and eaten in a communal feast, so sacrifice was both religious and social. People prayed and left offerings to ask for help or give thanks. Worship was also a daily, domestic matter: each household honoured the gods of the home, with the hearth a sacred focus, marking births, marriages and deaths with religious acts.
What is q1?Show answer
What does it mean that Greek religion was polytheistic? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What was the central act of Greek worship, and what often followed it? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Why did the Athenians consult oracles such as Delphi? [2 marks]
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