Greek Mythology & Religion: Ancient Greek Gods, Temples, and Beliefs

Your source for information about the art and architecture of ancient Greece, including Crete, Mycenae, Acropolis, the Parthenon, and ancient Athens.

Resources on ancient Greek art, sculpture, and architecture.

Learn about great Greek Gods and Goddesses to nearly-forgotten nymphs and satyrs - look here for the stories of them all. Great for students of all ages. Find out about Zeus, Aphrodite, Hera, Artemis, Hercules, Athena, Hades, Apollo, and many lesser-known Greek deities and their myths and stories.

Ancient Greece included the best of art and politics of humankind: some of the finest sculpture in the world, and the roots of the world's democracies.

This page provides information and details related to Greek mythology.

Greek mythology. Ancient Greek gods and goddesses, Greek mythology about the ancient gods and goddesses as well as legends about the ancient Greek heroes. Also Roman gods and goddesses.

Cape Sounion (Sounio, Sunium) in Greece is a promontory which was used to spot approaching ships before they reached Athens. Located 65 km south-east of Athens, it is also the site of two famous temples: the Temple of Poseidon and the Temple of Athena. Constructed in the 5th century BCE, the Temple of Poseidon is the best preserved of the two.

Visual Index of Resources on Greek Mythology, Religion, and Iconography: Ancient Greek religion is characterized in large part by conflict and community. Greek mythology is defined to a great extent by conflicting forces while Greek religion itself is defined by attempts to reinforce a common sense of purpose, civic cohesion, and community.

These maps of ancient Greece, including the Greek mainland, Aegean islands, Magna Graecia, and Ionia (Asia Minor) provide geographic context to the stories, history, myths, legends, and religion of the ancient Greeks.

If by religion we mean ritual behavior and beliefs about sacred items, places, and beings, then the Greeks certainly had a religion - or perhaps a set of religions. Despite this variety, though, it is possible to identify a beliefs and practices that distinguish the Greeks from others, allowing us to talk about a coherent system.

Greek temples were, then, as much civic structures as they were sacred. The site of each temple was chosen for its political or social value, for example in a city-center or on the highest part of the city. Sacred sites or sanctuaries were strategically placed in and around the city in order to facilities ritual processions as well as bind together neighborhoods in religious observances.

The city of Troy is most famous for being the primary site of the Trojan War. Although the truth of this account is disputed, there is a reality to Troy that is at least as interesting: it is the site through which religion, culture, and technology pass between civilizations to the east and Europe. The primary stopping point in this transfer was Greece.

Human habitation on Crete can be traced back to some time during the 7th millennium BCE. No one knows were exactly these settlers came from (Anatolia is often cited as likely), but their descendants would be responsible for one of the most magnificent and influential civilizations in the Aegean region.

Minoan religion influenced Greece through Mycenaean civilization. The close relationship between Mycenaean and Minoan culture is both undeniable and amazing. Archaeological investigations often have difficulty distinguishing which artifacts were manufactured on Crete and which were manufactured instead in Mycenaean sites on the mainland.

There were a variety of important gods and goddesses in ancient Greek mythology. Each had their own sphere of influence and they all regularly fought with one another, vying for power and influence in the universe. They argued, they schemed, and they behaved badly. They were, however, very interesting characters.

A very important stage in the development of Greek religion was the creation of hero cults and hero veneration. Some time during the 8th century BCE we observe Mycenaean sites where older tombs were cleaned up and transformed into the locus of veneration of heroic ancestors who, more likely than not, didn't actually have anything to do with that place.

Here you can learn about the specific temples and temple sites that still exist today: Olympia, Athens, Corinth, Mycenae, and more. What is their relationship to Greek mythology and religion?

Because so many centuries and different phases encompass "ancient Greek art" what we'll try to do rather briefly, here, is to break it down into some manageable chunks, thus giving each period its due.

Geography and maps of the European country Greece.