Religion of ancient Greece briefly. Abstract: Ancient Greek religion

Ancient Greek religion is a branch of the Indo-European religious tradition. Its origins are chronologically connected with the beginning of the migration and isolation of “proto-Greek” tribes in the 4th–3rd millennium BC, and its decline occurred in the 5th–6th centuries. AD - the final victory of Christianity. Thus, the ancient Greek religion existed for about four thousand years, and it is natural that during this period of time it underwent qualitative changes.

It is customary to distinguish several stages in the development of ancient Greek religion.

Ancient, Covered Mycenaean stage is associated with religious beliefs that formed in island and mainland Greece at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. It is associated with the existence of the Cretan-Mycenaean civilization (late III - mid-II millennium BC). It is characterized by the fusion of an autochthonous, non-Indo-European religious tradition and the religious beliefs of alien “proto-Greek” tribes with elements of the cults of Middle Eastern religions. This peculiar symbiosis laid the foundation for the development of ancient Greek religion.

The religious views of the autochthonous Cretan culture were based on agrarian and fertility cults.

The central deity of the Cretan pantheon can be considered Great Goddess, associated with the cult of fertility, agrarian and chthonic cults, as evidenced by the iconography of the deity. The specifics of her cult make it possible to identify many similarities with similar cults of the Middle Eastern region, known since the Neolithic era. According to the surviving iconography, in the Mycenaean pantheon one can distinguish an equally revered male deity of the natural elements in the form of a bull and a man with a bull’s head.

Indirect evidence of the existence of this deity and even the confrontation between religious traditions dating back to matriarchy and patriarchal religious traditions is greek myth O Minotaur. The Minotaur is a monster living in Crete with the body of a man and the head of a bull, who lived in a labyrinth built for him, annually devouring seven young men and women sent as tribute from Athens.

In Cretan culture, the symbols of this deity were images of bull horns and a double-edged ax - Labrys. The cult of sacrifice and ritual are directly associated with this deity. tauromachy(fight with a bull).

With the spread and predominance of the “proto-Greek” ethnic component in Cretan culture, the Mycenaean stage of the development of ancient Greek religion begins, which is characterized by cultural, religious, and political continuity with the patterns of autochthonous Cretan culture.

In addition to the old deities, the Mycenaean pantheon includes new, Indo-European deities, such as Zeus, Athena, Hera, Poseidon, Hermes, Artemis, Ares, Erinnia etc. With the strengthening of monarchical tendencies and the development of social inequality, the religious life of Mycenaean societies became differentiated. Above the agrarian archaic religion of the Great Goddess are built palace cults associated with the deification of the ruler and the monopolization of all priestly functions. The matriarchal Great Goddess is replaced by a patriarchal deity, designed to strengthen the prestige and power of the ruler. The growth of the socio-political influence of individual clans and the establishment of dynastic principles of government led to the dominance of the cult of ancestors and the complication of funeral rituals. The crisis of Crete-Mycenaean societies, associated with natural disasters and the invasion of the Dorian Greeks, led to the decline of the Crete-Mycenaean religious tradition.

XI–VI centuries BC – " archaic"stage of ancient Greek religion. It is characterized by the syncretism of Mycenaean religious beliefs, the Dorian Indo-European religious tradition and elements of Middle Eastern religious cults. Initially, the religious tradition is represented by the primitive cults of scattered ancient Greek tribes. This period in the history of ancient Greek religion is often called pre-Olympic(preceding the formation of the pantheon of Olympian gods).

The religious beliefs of this period had a great influence on the further development of the religious tradition of Greece. The main characteristics of these beliefs include:

– totemic elements – most of the deities of this period have a pronounced zoomorphic appearance: Apollo – mouse and wolf, Hera - cow, Athena - owl, Dionysus – bear, Zeus - bull, etc. There are widespread myths about the origin of the tribe, clan, policy(city-state) from a specific animal and deity;
– deification and personification various objects the surrounding world, feelings, psychological states;
– the practice of honoring sacred places: groves, streams, rivers, mountains, caves, etc.;
– the formation of a cult of heroes, going back to the cult of ancestors, heroes acted as ancestors and patron spirits of individual clans;
– the existence of echoes of shamanism and shamanic practices;
– the absence of the priestly class as a separate social group.

In the 9th–8th centuries. the process of processing and systematizing tribal religious beliefs, mythology and ritual into a single whole begins. This stage in the development of ancient Greek religion was called Olympic and is associated with the formation of the pan-Greek pantheon led by the Olympian gods. The creation of the pan-Greek religion reflected the moment of awareness of pan-Greek unity based on a common language and religious-mythological traditions. At the same time, local, tribal, and polis cults did not lose their significance, but organically fit into the expanded religious and mythological system of Ancient Greece.

The first attempt to unify the ancient Greek religion belongs to Homer(VIII century BC). In epic poems "Iliad" And "Odyssey", dedicated to the events of the Trojan War, a description of cosmogony, the structure of the world and the Greek pantheon is given.

The universe was created by a married couple Ocean(the personification of the world river washing the ecumene) and Tethys(younger generation of titans). The world has a three-part structure: heaven, earth, underworld (the latter is divided into Erebus, Hades And Tartarus). The deities of the ancient Greek pantheon are anthropomorphic and sit on the sacred Mount Olympus in Thessaly: after the name of this mountain, the Greek gods are called Olympian, and the ancient Greek religion is often called the “Olympic religion”.

The pantheon of Olympian gods reproduces the structure of the patriarchal family. At the head of the pantheon is Zeus (god of the sky, thunder and lightning), the next in seniority are Kronida(children of Crohn): Poseidon (god of the seas), Hades(god of the underworld), Hera (goddess of marriage and family), Demeter(goddess of fertility), Hestia(goddess of the hearth). Next come the children of Zeus: Athena (goddess of wisdom and war), Aphrodite(goddess of love and beauty (see Fig. 30)), Apollo (god of the arts and healing), Artemis (goddess of the hunt), Hephaestus(god of fire and blacksmithing), Ares (god of war). The messengers of the gods Hermes (god of trade and theft) and Iridu(goddess of the rainbow), as well as serving at feasts Gebu(goddess of youth) and advisor to Zeus - Themis(goddess of justice). But above all deities is Moira(“Fate”), whose will is absolutely ruthless and inevitable in relation to people and gods.

Thus, the dominant idea in Homer is religious fatalism - all actions and events are predetermined by a higher power, and it is impossible to change anything.

The successor of the Homeric tradition is Hesiod(VIII century BC), which in its " Theogony"("The Origin of the Gods") gives a detailed picture of the cosmogony, genealogy and hierarchy of the ancient Greek deities. He tried not only to combine into something a whole set of tribal beliefs of the Greeks, but also to find a place in the pantheon for the Thracian, Phrygian and other foreign deities revered by the Greeks - Dionysus ( god of wine) Cybele(goddess of fertility), etc.

Hesiod talks about the creation of the world from Chaos(the original state of the world), and sets out the sequential genealogy of three generations of deities succeeding each other. The first generation includes the children of Chaos - Gaia("Earth"), which gave birth to Uranus("Sky") and Pont("Sea"), Nyukte("Night"), Tartarus("Abyss"), Erebus("Darkness"), Eros("Love"). From the marriage of Uranus and Gaia were born titans And Titanides– gods of the second generation: Hyperion(“The Greatest” is identified with Helios, sun god) Cron("Time"), Ocean(deity of the cosmic river washing the world), Mnemosyne("Memory"), Rhea(mother goddess) Tethys(deity of water), Themis (“Justice”), etc. Son of Titan Iapetus – Prometheus became the ancestor of people. From the marriage of Uranus and Gaia were born cyclops (Cyclopes), one-eyed giants, and Hecatonchires(one-hundred-armed, fifty-headed giants, the personification of natural elements).

Cronus rebelled against his father Uranus, castrated him and seized power. From the blood of Uranus were born giants(giants) and Erinnyes(goddess of vengeance). Cronus, having married Rhea and fearing the fate of his father, began to devour his children. Rhea managed to save Zeus (the god of the sky, thunder and lightning, the supreme Olympian deity), who was able to free his brothers and overthrow his father and the power of the Titans, founding the third generation of gods. Leaving the sky behind him, Zeus gave his brother Poseidon the water element, and Hades the underworld. Having chosen Olympus as the seat of his generation of gods, Zeus produced many different deities from numerous wives, and from relationships with mortal women - demigods and heroes. Thus, in the archaic era, Greek religion goes from primitive tribal beliefs to religious teachings at the pan-Greek level.

Classic stage(V-IV centuries BC) in the development of ancient Greek religion is characterized by the final formation of the state polis cult and the protracted crisis of the ancient Greek religion. The latter was associated with the formation of a new rational type of worldview and personality, which opposed collectivism and collectivist values. Ancient Greek philosophy, with its rationalism, empiricism and criticism, dealt a severe blow to the ancient Greek religion. Most ancient Greek philosophers in one way or another opposed religion, even to the point of preaching ancient varieties of atheism. One of the reasons for this is the primitivism of religious beliefs (crude anthropomorphism, etc.), which did not satisfy the layer of intellectuals.

Crisis phenomena continue throughout the next Hellenistic stage development of Greek religion (III–I centuries BC), leading to an increase in skeptical attitudes towards traditional beliefs. A radical change in the polis worldview, the spread of ideas of cosmopolitanism, and the development of radical philosophical ideas led to the strengthening of mysterious and individualistic forms of religion, an active passion for various Eastern cults, i.e. there was a redistribution of the influence of different religions.

The final stage of ancient Greek religion falls on the 1st–6th centuries. AD Initially, she comes under pressure from the official ancient Roman imperial religion and various eastern beliefs popular throughout the Roman Empire. Its end was associated with the victorious march of Christianity, the spread of which did not encounter any special obstacles in Greece. With the dominance of Christianity, the latent stage of the ancient Greek religion began, existing in close connection with Christianity at the level of petty demonology, household rituals and rituals, preserved mainly in rural areas (individual elements - right up to our time).

The classical ancient Greek religion is characterized by several specific features.

The ancient Greek religion was a developed version of polytheism - henotheism, i.e. At the head of the pantheon of gods was the supreme god, Zeus. We can say that the development of ancient Greek religion stopped at the transitional stage from polytheism to monotheism.

Ancient Greek deities are characterized by pronounced anthropomorphism, which was associated with the idea of the existence of correspondences between a deity and a person. Only deity is perfection, the maximum expression of vitality and potency, the sign of which is immortality. A person in comparison looks like a mere copy, deprived of these advantages. But in the classical era, this similarity was one of the objects of criticism of religion - what kind of deities are they if, just like people, they suffer from family problems, lust, experience fear, envy and other completely human feelings. Sometimes the moral character of these deities was worse than that of a person (so the plot of the famous operetta by J. Offenbach, where the deities dance the cancan, was only an exaggeration of the real traits of the creatures that made up the ancient Greek pantheon).

The ancient Greek religion allowed for the possibility of direct communication with deities and the presence of transitional states from the human to the divine. The demigods were the offspring love affair between a god (goddess - extremely rarely) and a mortal woman (man).

It was also characterized by the deification of a wide variety of natural phenomena, elements of public and private life, which ultimately led to the division of all deities into three large groups: uranium(heavenly) chthonic(underground) and ecumenical(earthly).

It is necessary to say about the presence of a rich and extremely diverse demonology in the Greek religion. Actually the term itself " daimon"of Greek origin, it denotes some mysterious (supernatural) force, both positive and negative in its effect on a person. Folk religiosity was built primarily on the veneration of various spirits and demons: nymphs(female nature spirits), maenad(female fertility spirits), silenov And satyrs(male fertility spirits). Most of these characters are neutral towards people; they are only purely negative lamias– female harmful creatures.

The cult of ancestors was widely developed in Greek religion. According to the ideas of the Greeks, a deceased relative after death passed into the category of underground deities, and he was often called that way - theos(“god”) or was perceived as a patron – daimon. Obviously, in Ancient Greece there was no unified concept of personal eschatology, since on the one hand there were tendencies to classify deceased ancestors as blessed (probably not all, but especially prominent ones), on the other hand, Homer’s description of Hades suggests that the existence of the dead is not at all state of bliss. Therefore, mystery cults developed, aimed at providing initiates with the opportunity after death to escape Hades and truly approach some kind of divine bliss.

The ancient Greek religious tradition had a well-developed category of holiness. There were several terms to designate its various aspects:

– hieros– the sacred as part of the divine power;
– agnos– holy as pure and immaculate, holy as forbidden;
– osios– sacred as established by the gods.

The opposite of holiness was denoted by the terms miasma- defilement, impurity and kakia- a shameful act.

The fundamental category of ancient Greek religion is the concept of fate, understood as predestination; in extreme manifestations this was expressed in religious fatalism. In the classical era, predestination and fatalism were among the first to come under attack from criticism of rational thinking and were gradually replaced by ideas of personal freedom of the individual.

In ancient Greek religion there were two categories expressing the idea of the soul. Fumos expressed the connection of the soul with the breath, chest and heart. This, so to speak, is the material part of the soul that exists as long as the person himself is alive. Psyukhe- a certain immortal, indestructible substance that exists in a person (according to the Greeks, it was located in the person’s head). She leaves the body after death and goes to the other world. The further fate of the psyche is extremely vague - a stay in one of the areas of the underworld or relocation to another body. Ideas metempsychosis(transmigration of souls) were popular among the Greeks, but unfortunately, specific data shedding light on this issue has not survived.

The ancient Greek religious cult can be divided into two types: polis (state or public) and private.

Taking into account the specifics political structure and the mentality of the Greeks, it is clear that the dominant cults were polis cults, addressed to the gods - the patrons of the polis.

Religious activities were carried out in numerous temples built in honor of specific deities, the main decoration of which were sculptural images of the god. On their territory there were also altars to the gods. Ritual practice consisted of sacrifices, chants (hymns were used for this purpose - prosody, dithyramb, pyrrhic etc.), reading prayers, playing musical instruments, dancing. Since the priesthood did not exist as a special social class, the leadership of city cults was usually carried out by elected officials or persons who inherited priestly positions or received them as a gift for special services to the polis.

The veneration of common gods by various policies led to the formation of cult federations - amphictyony, for joint worship, maintenance and protection of religious centers.

The private cult was performed by the head of the family, who performed priestly functions. Witchcraft and magic occupied an important place in private rituals.

Both in polis and private cult practice they were actively used divinations(predictions). Any important business was unthinkable without them. The will of God, expressed in the act of prediction, was called "oracle". The place where it was carried out was also named (the most famous soothsayers were Pythia- Priestesses of the Delphic Temple of Apollo).

There were many different small and large holidays, but the pan-Greek ones were of greatest importance religious holidays, called eulogies. The most significant of them were Olympic Games in honor of Zeus, Pythian- in honor of Apollo, Nemean- in honor of Zeus and Isthmian- in honor of Poseidon.

Great value played in the religious life and cult practice of the Greeks mysteries("sacrament"). The most popular in Greece were Eleusinian mysteries in honor of Demeter and Persephone, Samothrace- in honor cabirov(lower fertility deities), bacchanalian – in honor of Dionysus.

Mysteries are secret religious rites that are part of the state cult or performed by private individuals and religious societies. They were complex ritual complexes, including special rites of passage (initiation), rites of purification, prayer practices, altered states of consciousness (ecstasy) and acts of hierophany(manifestations of the sacred principle in a sensually accessible form). Only initiates were allowed to participate in them, obliged to keep everything that happened during the mysteries secret. The initiation ceremony for a new member was called mystagogy, and the initiate - leaf. The initiation itself consisted of purification, sacrifices and “approaching” to the deity. As they became familiar with the mysteries and rituals, initiates were divided into several categories.

Religious rituals in the mysteries proceeded according to a complex scenario, with participants dressing up, using masks, pantomimes, songs, dances, music, etc. As a rule, these were dramatized representations of myths and tales dedicated to the revered deity. The priests of the Mysteries were called hierophants(“revealing the sacred”), the mysteries usually took place at night and were often associated with human sacrifices. According to a number of researchers, it was the mysteries that led to the emergence of ancient Greek theater and two main theatrical genres - tragedy and comedy.

Ancient Greek culture, which includes religion, mythology, philosophy, literature, fine and applied arts, architecture, had a huge, if not primary, influence on the development of European culture.

Christianity drew quite a lot from Greek culture, but the adoption of these elements was slow and difficult. As a result, only that which did not contradict the religious tenets of Christianity or could be radically rethought for this purpose was borrowed.

Christians of the first centuries were distrustful of any element reminiscent of a pagan cult, even if it itself did not contain anything specifically pagan. Under ancient Greek influence, some architectural and iconographic techniques and principles for interpreting texts appeared. At the same time, Greek culture put forward from its midst a religious alternative to Christianity in the form of Hermetic and other syncretic teachings, widespread in Europe and which flourished during the Renaissance.

Every nation has its own, ancient history, unique and mysterious traditions. Part of history is, of course, religious beliefs, which in most cases have guided the development of countries. At one time, Ancient Greece was a kind of example of a highly developed state, and the religion of the ancient Greeks was a perfect system that became part of other cultures, including the Roman Empire.

Today, almost every person on earth is familiar with some myths, the creators of which were the Greeks. Religion was precisely reflected in them. Who is not familiar with the stories of the mighty Hercules or the beautiful stories of Aphrodite? Yes, today these are nothing more than entertaining stories, but at one time it was the real religion of the ancient Greeks.

The Greek religion began to emerge around the end of the second millennium BC, since it was at that time that the Greeks began the transition to a slave-owning way of life, creating the first civilized cities, indulging in the study of art, and breeding livestock.

In those days, science as such did not exist and there were no explanations for even the simplest natural phenomena, such as lightning, rain and drought. That is why they began to create beliefs in which they attributed a divine essence to absolutely everything incomprehensible.

Another brother, Hades, ruled the kingdom of the dead. They say that in order to get there, the soul of the deceased had to swim across and meet the terrible monster Cerberus. No one was able to return from there.

Zeus also had several children who were considered no less powerful, and whom the Greeks worshiped for many centuries. For example, Apollo was considered, who, by the way, patronized art and poetry.

Artemis, the twin sister of Aplon, was the patroness of hunters and the protector of flora and fauna. The sacred animal of this goddess was the doe.

Ares was considered a formidable, uncontrollable and hot-tempered god of war who helped the Greeks in battle. And Athena, according to legend, born from the head of Zeus, was also the patroness of military art, as well as the goddess of wisdom. By the way, it was her cult that was glorified by the residents of the city of the same name.

Probably everyone has heard about Aphrodite, who was born from sea foam. This goddess was a real example of beauty and commanded such feelings as love and passion.

Hephaestus was considered the lame god of blacksmithing. People believed that the weapons made by his hands were invincible, and whoever possessed them received complete power over the enemy.

Hermes was considered a messenger, as well as an unrivaled thief.

The main deities were not the only objects of cult. The religion of the ancient Greeks claimed that there were thousands of minor deities who helped rule the world. These were other supernatural beings.

In addition, the Greeks believed in dangerous monsters, which they feared most. It is worth remembering only Cerberus and the Minotaur.

This brief description religious beliefs of the ancient Greek population gives an idea about their way of life. After all, temples were dedicated to each god, rituals were held in their honor, they were praised and tried to appease, believing that they were the ones who could help achieve well-being.

During the time of the ancient philosophers, religion acquired a secondary importance, since it was these people who gave the first breath to modern sciences. And over time, Christian beliefs spread throughout the country. So today the pantheon of ancient gods is nothing more than characters in beautiful fairy tales.

Paganism dominated in Ancient Greece, dating back to the last era. It was not clearly organized and did not have a unified teaching. Ancient Greek paganism, rather, was a collection of cults of various gods, each of which was responsible for one or another natural element, side human life. Characteristic of ancient Greek paganism was that each god corresponded to one or another sacred animal. According to the mythology of Ancient Greece, the gods were subject to fate, like all people. The gods sometimes came into conflict with each other. In general, they may not have been ideal from a moral point of view.

Characteristic features of ancient Greek paganism

Typical of paganism in general was deep reverence for ancestors and their cult. The ancient Greeks were sure that the souls of ancestors could bring trouble to the living. That is why it was a good idea to appease them through sacrifices.
When it comes to understanding life, the ancient Greeks believed in an afterlife. The god Hades ruled in the so-called kingdom of the dead. And in his domain all people were clearly divided into sinners and righteous. The first were destined to end up in Tartarus, which was hell. Under no circumstances was it possible not to bury the body of the deceased.
Magi and priests in ancient Greek paganism did not occupy a high status, unlike other peoples. They simply served in temples, could make sacrifices and perform some rituals. But no one perceived the priest as an intermediary between God and man.

Praising the Gods

For their gods, the Greek pagans built special altars on which they erected idols. You probably won't be surprised to learn that the Greeks made sacrifices to their deities. Most often it was food, drinks, valuable gifts. But the distinctive sacrifice for ancient Greek paganism was the hecatomb, or a whole hundred bulls! They made sacrifices to the gods to express their respect and reverence. But the Greeks also pursued their own goals: to appease the gods in order to achieve their desires and needs. Moreover, people usually ate animal meat themselves. The gods, they say, don’t need handouts, because they are already rich. But wine could be poured onto the ground, it was a libation for the gods.

It was also interesting how the sacrifices were organized. For example, if a king makes a sacrifice, then he asks for all his people. And if the head is the owner of the house, then for the whole family. All holidays and ceremonies in Ancient Greece were imbued with religious beliefs. This applied to such an important event as the Olympic Games and simple holidays. In addition, they read special prayers for the gods, asking them for something or thanking them for something.

The concept of morality

A very important fact is that the ancient Greeks had concepts of morality and morality. For example, they considered moderation, justice, courage, and prudence to be virtues. And in contrast to them was pride. The man was a completely free person. But he had to be able to control himself, respect himself not to the point of arrogance, and not insult others. Greek paganism gave rise to humanity, kindness, compassion, mercy, reverence for elders, and patriotism in the hearts of people. And we see a reflection of this in numerous myths and legends of Ancient Greece.

Divine pantheon in ancient Greek paganism

We get most of the information about ancient Greek paganism from the legendary “Iliad” and “Odyssey” by Homer. According to them, all the gods of Ancient Greece were divided into:

Heavenly, or Uranic. This includes Zeus and all the Olympian gods.
Underground, or chthonic. This is Hades, Demeter.
Earthly, or ecumenical. For example, Hestia, gods of the hearth.

In addition to gods, the ancient Greeks also believed in lower spirits, or demons. Examples of such creatures were nymphs, satyrs, and seleniums. They could be good and evil. Therefore, they, like the gods, had to be praised and rituals performed in their honor.

The gods in ancient Greek paganism were depicted as ordinary people, if we talk about their appearance. They also had human character traits, both positive and negative. They also got married, fell in love, were jealous, and fought. But the main differences between gods and people were their immortality, superiority in wisdom and strength, and the presence of supernatural capabilities. Gods in understanding ordinary people were idealized, but close to them in spirit.

The gods are most often benevolent towards humans. You can incur their wrath if you do not show them due respect and do not make sacrifices. In general, the gods can help people, put them on the right path. If trouble or misfortune happened to a person, then the reason for this was seen not in the anger of the gods, but in the guilt of the person himself. However, the gods could punish people: for betrayal, for not welcoming guests, for failure to fulfill promises. But they could both forgive and pity the person. That is, they did not have such feelings as compassion and mercy.

Holidays were organized for the gods. For example, the holiday of the Great Panathenaea was dedicated to the goddess Athena, and the Great Dionysia, respectively, to the god Dionysus.

List of the main gods in Ancient Greece:

Zeus. Dominant god. He lives in heaven, rules over thunder. Zeus symbolizes strength and power. He is like a heavenly king. The fate of people, in the understanding of the ancient Greeks, depends precisely on Zeus.
Hebe. Goddess of youth and beauty.
Hera. Wife of Zeus. Patroness of the family hearth.
Athena. Patron of wisdom and justice.
Aphrodite. Symbolizes love and beauty.
Ares. God of War.
Artemis - hunting.
Apollo. Represents the sun, art.
Hermes. God of trade and theft.
Hestia. Goddess of the family hearth and sacrificial fire.
Hades. God of the kingdom of the dead.
Hephaestus. Patron of fire and crafts. Son of Zeus.
Demeter. Goddess of agriculture and good harvest.
Dionysus. God of winemaking and agriculture.
Poseidon. God of the seas.

According to legends, the gods lived on Mount Olympus. The three main Olympian gods were Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. In total, twelve gods are called Olympians. The rest are divided into gods of the water element, the air, and the underworld. There is also a group of muses, giants, and cyclops. In short, there are very, very many creatures and gods that were in ancient Greek paganism.

The end of ancient Greek paganism came in the first half of the tenth century, when Christianity spread everywhere. However, back in the fourth century, sacrifices and the construction of pagan temples began to be prohibited. In general, we can say that paganism in Ancient Greece, although it had its own distinctive, peculiar features, basic concepts and the principles remained characteristic of all paganism.

Secrets of Ancient Greece.

There were many gods in the pantheon, among which 12 main ones stood out. Each of them performed its own functions. For example, Zeus (pictured below) was the main god, he was the thunderer, the ruler of the sky, and personified power and strength in a state such as Ancient Greece.

The Hellenic religion prescribed the worship of Hera, his wife. This is the patroness of the family, the goddess of marriage. Poseidon was the brother of Zeus. This is an ancient sea deity, patron of the sea and horses. Athena represents just war and wisdom. Religion Dr. Greece, in addition, represents her as the patroness of city fortifications and cities in general. Another name for this goddess is Pallas, which means “shaker of the spear.” Athena, according to classical mythology, is a warrior goddess. She was usually depicted in full armor.

Cult of heroes

The ancient Greek gods lived on Olympus, a snow-capped mountain. In addition to their worship, there was also a cult of heroes. They were represented as demigods who were born from the unions of mortals and gods. The heroes of many myths and poems of Ancient Greece are Orpheus (pictured above), Jason, Theseus, Hermes, etc.

Anthropomorphism

Revealing the features of the religion of Ancient Greece, it should be noted that anthropomorphism is one of the main ones among them. The deity was understood as the Absolute. The ancient Greeks believed that Cosmos was the absolute deity. Anthropomorphism was expressed in endowing higher beings with human qualities. Gods, as the ancient Greeks believed, are ideas embodied in the Cosmos. These are nothing more than the laws of nature that govern him. Their gods reflect all the shortcomings and advantages of human life and nature. Higher beings have a human appearance. Not only do they resemble humans in appearance, but also in their behavior. The gods have husbands and wives, and they enter into relationships with each other similar to those of humans. They can take revenge, be jealous, fall in love, have children. Thus, the gods have all the advantages and disadvantages that are characteristic of mortals. This feature determined the character of civilization in Ancient Greece. Religion contributed to the fact that humanism became its main feature.

Sacrifices

Sacrifices were made to all the gods. The Greeks believed that, like people, higher beings needed food. In addition, they believed that the shadows of the dead also needed food. Therefore, the ancient Greeks tried to feed them. For example, the heroine of Aeschylus's tragedy, Electra, waters the earth with wine so that her father can receive it. Sacrifices to the gods were gifts that were offered to fulfill the requests of the worshiper. Popular gifts were fruits, vegetables, various breads and cakes dedicated to individual gods. There were also blood sacrifices. They were reduced mainly to the killing of animals. However, very rarely people were also sacrificed. This is what religion was like in Greece at an early stage of its development.

Temples

Temples in Ancient Greece were usually built on hills. They were separated by a fence from other buildings. Inside was an image of the god in whose honor the temple was built. There was also an altar for performing bloodless sacrifices. Separate rooms existed for sacred relics and donations. Bloody sacrifices were performed on a special platform located in front of the temple building, but inside the fence.

Priests

Each Greek temple had its own priest. Even in ancient times, among some tribes they did not play a significant role in society. Every free man could perform the duties of priests. This situation remained unchanged even after the emergence of separate states. The oracle was in the main temples. His functions included predicting the future, as well as reporting what was said by the Olympian gods.

For the Greeks, religion was a state matter. Priests were effectively government employees who had to obey the laws like other citizens. If necessary, priestly duties could be performed by the heads of clans or kings. At the same time, religion was not taught, theological works were not created, that is, religious thought did not develop in any way. The duties of the priests were limited to the performance of certain rituals in the temple to which they belonged.

The emergence of Christianity

The emergence of Christianity chronologically dates back to the middle of the 2nd century. n. e. Nowadays there is an opinion that it appeared as the religion of all the “offended” and “humiliated”. However, this is not true. In fact, from the ashes of the pantheon of Greco-Roman gods, a more mature idea of belief in one supreme being appeared, as well as the idea of a god-man who accepted death to save people. Cultural tensions in Greco-Roman society were also very intense. It was necessary to receive protection and support from temptations and external instability. Other Ancient Greece failed to provide them. And the Hellenes turned to Christianity. We will now talk about the history of its formation in this country.

Early Christian Church

The early Christian Church, in addition to internal contradictions, was sometimes subject to external persecution. Christianity in the early period of its existence was not officially recognized. Therefore, his followers had to gather secretly. The first Christians of Greece tried not to irritate the authorities, so they were not very active in spreading their faith to the “masses” and did not seek to establish a new teaching. Over the course of 1,000 years, this religion has evolved from isolated, underground societies to a worldwide teaching that has influenced the development of many civilizations.

A Brief History of Christianity in Ancient Greece

Nowadays, the main religion in Greece is Orthodox Christianity. Almost 98% of believers adhere to it. Very early the inhabitants of Greece adopted Christianity. After Constantine, the Roman emperor, adopted this religion in 330 AD. e. he moved his capital to Constantinople. The new center became a kind of religious capital of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire. After some time, tense relations arose between the patriarchs of Rome and Constantinople. As a result of this, a split in religion occurred in 1054. It was divided into Catholicism and Orthodoxy. Orthodox Church supported and represented Christian Eastern Europe after its conquest by the Ottomans. After the revolution that occurred in 1833, she became one of the first Orthodox Christians in the region to recognize and support the spiritual leadership of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Until now, the inhabitants of Greece are faithful to their chosen religion.

Modern Orthodox Church

It is interesting that the church in Greece today is not separated from the state, as in many other countries. It is autocephalous. The Archbishop is its head. His residence is in Athens. Catholicism is professed by a few residents of certain islands of the Aegean Sea, which once belonged to the Venetian Republic. In addition to the Greeks, Muslim Turks also live on the island of Rhodes and Thrace.

Religion is an integral part of many aspects of Greek society. The Orthodox Church influences, for example, the education system. In Greece, children attend religious courses, which are compulsory. They also pray together before class every morning. The Church also influences decision-making on certain political issues.

Pagan organizations

A court in Greece not long ago allowed the activities of an association uniting fans of ancient gods. Pagan organizations thus became legal in this country. Today the religion of ancient Greece is being revived. About 100 thousand Greeks adhere to paganism. They worship Hera, Zeus, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hermes, Athena and other gods.

Religion of the Cretan-Mycenaean culture. Our study of the history of religion moves to Europe. It was here that the development of civilization took place, which was the direct ancestor of modern Europe and the immediate soil of the flowering of Christianity, a religion that left the greatest imprint on the history of mankind. This is an ancient civilization.

The south of the Balkan Peninsula, the islands of the Aegean Sea and a narrow strip of the western coast of Asia Minor, and later numerous colonies around these territories, is Hellas, the cradle of European civilization. The settlement of Hellas began about 100 thousand years ago.

Civilization in Europe was born at the turn of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. All of Europe at that time was still going through the period of development of a primitive society into a civilized one. Covered with forests and swamps, it was still wild. Only in the south (present-day Italy and Spain) and southeast (Greece, the Danube region, southern Ukrainian steppes) there were separate centers of agricultural and agricultural-pastoral cultures.

But the research of the English archaeologist A. Evans (1851-1943) discovered on the island of Crete the most ancient European culture - Cretan, or Minoan (named after the mythical king Minos, the most outstanding figure of that historical period). And this period is considerable: from 3000 to 1200. to AD - almost 18 centuries.

Cretan culture, which was represented by the early slave states of Knossos, Festus and others, reached significant prosperity in the 20th-15th centuries. to AD and quickly faded away starting in the 14th century. to AD In these states there was a theocratic government. The king was also the high priest. State administration and religious worship practically constituted one process. Menorcas (as the population of this state is conventionally called) worshiped the Great Goddess, the mother of people and animals, and the bull god, who personified destructive forces nature. The priest-king made sacrifices to these gods in the palace, which was both a dwelling and a temple.

At the end of the 15th or beginning of the 14th century. Not. The Greeks (Achaeans) invaded Crete from the continent and destroyed the Minoan civilization.

Another center of ancient Greek civilization was the Mycenaean (Achaean) culture (1770 AD - 1200 AD).

The Achaean Greeks appeared in the Balkans almost simultaneously with the advent of civilization on Crete. They came from the north, from the Danube valley. Merging with the local population, they formed new cultural centers. Excavations in Mycenae, and then in many other places in Greece, tell of a warlike people who created a powerful power that achieved special prosperity in the 16th-13th centuries. to AD There were other Achaean states. They waged continuous wars among themselves.

The ancient Greeks deified nature. In their minds, supernatural faces were everywhere: naiads lived in streams, tree nymphs, dryads and satyrs lived in groves, Oreads lived in rocks, Nereids and Tritons lived in the sea, stars and gods of the highest rank populated the sky.

In the 50s of the last century, the Mycenaean writing was deciphered. True, most of the deciphered clay tablets contained various economic records, but there was also information about religion. So, it turned out that there were slaves who were considered the property of one or another god. Maybe there was something like a temple economy. At least there was some kind of collective religious ownership. There is a considerable list of gods. Among them are Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Artemis. Male gods had female “counterparts”: for Poseidon it was Posidea, for Zeus it was Divia. There was a cult of Dionysus, but not of a god, but of a man.

Around the 12th century. to AD Dorian tribes from the north of the peninsula invade the Mycenaean lands. their culture merged with the Mycenaean one, and society received an impetus for development within the framework of the community schedule.

Religion of the Greek polis. The next stage in the history of Ancient Greece was called archaic. It lasted from the 8th to the 6th centuries. to AD During this period, the ancient Greeks colonized the northern coast of the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea coast, the south of the Apennine Peninsula and even penetrated the African coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Colonization activates the economic development of the country: handicrafts are stimulated, crafts are finally separated from agriculture, trade brings neighboring and distant countries closer together, the Greeks borrow a lot from the world that opened before them. In Ancient Greece in the 8th century. to AD The polis system is established: city-states with class stratification and developed commodity-money relations emerge.

Of all the policies, the largest were the Athenian and Spartan states.

The people of the Athenian state consisted of four phyla (tribes). Each phylum in turn was divided into three moieties, and each moiety into thirty clans. The tribe and clan were governing bodies and religious communities; the functions of the phratry were limited to marriages and birth registration.

Social life in the policies gained an organized order and was improved by the creation of legal relations.

In 621 AD Draco wrote down the current common law in Athens, which was some limitation of the interests of the aristocracy, which had not previously been bound by any laws. And this, to a certain extent, protected the interests of the people. But according to the laws of Dracon, there was only one punishment - punishment on the throat. Therefore, the expression “draconian laws” became popular.

Following Draco's reforms, the conduct of religious affairs finally passed to the state. All inhabitants of Attica must worship the gods and the heroes recognized by the tribes. Particularly important was the legislative activity of Solon (between 640-635 - around 559 AD), who in 594 AD. eliminated debt slavery, introduced uniform measures of mass and money for the entire country, and established freedom of wills. Solon cared about the economic independence of the country and the development of crafts. Depending on their property status, he divided society into four classes and prohibited representatives of the poorest fet class from holding public office, but everyone had the right to vote.

Soon after 509 AD Klisthep liquidated the tribal phyles and created new, territorial ones. Each phylum was divided into ten demes, which had separate temples with a priest who was elected by voting or drawing lots. Phila was also a religious entity, the temple of the Phila was state property, the religious affairs of the Phila were managed by the state. This is how the state religion was formed. But the power of the priest is already separated from the power of the military leader, judge and administrator.

The state of Sparta in the southern part of the Peloponnese developed somewhat differently. It was an agricultural policy. Only helots (slaves) worked on the land, perieki were engaged in trade and craft, and the citizens of Sparta were engaged in military affairs only. It was a state of warriors, power belonged to the military aristocracy. Spartan religious life was similar to Athenian.

The religion of archaic Greece preserved and even expanded the numerous pantheon of Homeric Olympian gods and made changes to their hierarchy.

This period was a period of further development of ancient Greek culture.

Back in the 9th century. to AD The Greeks borrowed the Semitic alphabet from the Phoenicians. Gradually, a number of cultural monuments are being created on it. In the 8th century. Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" were recorded (written), which contain a detailed picture of the life of the ancient Greeks and information about the mythological religion of Hellas, which we use to this day.

Homer's clear world is populated by gods and people. They have a lot in common with each other. Both live in nature, they come from mother earth, they were born, have a body, eat, sleep, act, have their own kings and rulers. But people live in visible form, and gods are invisible. People eat the fruits of the earth, and the gods eat nectar, ambrosia, people are mortal, and the gods are immortal. Homer does not yet have the idea of otherworldly comprehension. The dead continue to exist in the underworld, and only some of them, by the will of the gods, become immortal and live in earthly forms.

The idea of otherworldly atonement arises in the Greek polis, and its fate is largely determined by funeral rites and the care of the soul of the deceased by those who remained alive. This indicates the development of animistic ideas at this stage of improvement of the ancient Greek religion.

The religion of the ancient Greeks extolled physical labor, without which it would be impossible to achieve material well-being. That's why the Greeks have it large number patron gods various types labor: Artemis looked after hunting, Hermes, Apollo and Pan over cattle breeding, Demeter with her Eleusinian mysteries took care of agriculture, Dionysus for viticulture, Pallas Athena for handicrafts, Hephaestus helped blacksmiths, Hermes for merchants and the like. There were also patron gods of mental labor.

Another significant cultural phenomenon, closely related to religion, was the sports games, and the main ones among them were the Olympic Games. The first of them was built in 776 AD. in honor of Olympian Zeus. These games glorified physical qualities person encouraged physical development, which was needed for the aristocracy to dominate the slaves and assert its own social importance. This was done with reference to the gods.

The Athenians and Spartans had common gods and common temples. Often this community was used for political interests. Thus, the ancient historian Thucydides in his work “History” recalls that when deciding the issue of power, the Macedonians (Spartans) persuaded the priestess in Delphi to make a prediction that was beneficial to them.

Ancient Greek mythology. The mythology of ancient Greece was one of the most striking phenomena that affected the entire world civilization. It already appeared in the primitive worldview of the ancient Greek tribes during the period of matriarchy. Mythology immediately absorbed animistic and fetishistic ideas.

The cult of ancestors and totems, which the ancient Greeks also could not do without, was subjected to mythological justification. So, the religion of the ancient Greeks began with mythology, found its best expression in mythology, and reached its perfection in Olympic mythology.

Olympic mythology is already the Trans-Greek mythology of the patriarchy period. Researchers noted an interesting point: the names of local gods or places of their veneration became epithets of common gods.

The Olympic pantheon is headed by the “father of all gods and people” Zeus, he lives on Mount Olympus, all the gods are completely subordinate to him. All Olympian gods are anthropomorphic not only as a general image, but, so to speak, in detail; they are physically identical to people who have all human qualities, including negative ones, which sometimes disgrace these gods. They eat and drink, quarrel and hug, are born and die.

Next to the Olympic pantheon of gods, a significant number of mythical heroes arise who tame monsters that harm people. Anthropomorphism of ancient Greek mythology was people's awareness of their place in the world, the growth of their power over the forces of nature, and a sense of its social significance.

Subsequently, anthropomorphic Greek gods increasingly gain importance as personifications of the abstract forces of nature and society.

In the Hellenistic, and then in the Roman era, mythology, in addition to religious, also gained literary and artistic significance; it provided the artist with material for allegory and metaphors, and created images, types and characters.

But the main thing for ancient Greek mythology is its religion-creating functionality, where it becomes the basis for the formation of animistic ideas, determines the fetishism and magic of the ancient Greek religion. Ancient Greek mythology, full of harmony and feeling real life, becomes the basis of realistic art not only in ancient times, but also later, during the Renaissance, right up to our times.

Brought up on strict observance of laws and norms, the ancient Greeks were careful about the implementation of cult provisions. The cult of the god of the Sun, light, wisdom and art of Apollo gained great importance in them; a sanctuary in Delphi was dedicated to him. The Delphic priests and the oracles of Apollo had great authority, could interfere in government affairs and seriously influence events.

Another significant cult of that time was the cult of Demeter, the goddess of fertility and agriculture, as well as legislation, since agriculture required settledness and stability in life, a sanctuary was dedicated to her in Eleusis, near Athens. Traditionally, for hundreds of years, mysteries and mysterious rituals took place in this sanctuary with the participation of only initiates. The first stage of initiation was singing and dancing at night on the Feast of the Great Eleusinia. At the second stage, they gathered in the sanctuary itself, where a dramatic performance was performed about the abduction of Demeter’s daughter Persephone (Core) by the god of the underworld Hades. Persephone became the wife of Hades. But every spring she returned to her mother, and then again to the underworld. It was a symbolization of dying and germinating grains, a symbolic act of fertility, the sacrament of eternal life. Those initiated into the cult of Demeter received the right to eternal life after death. True, at the same time, the practical Greeks did not forget about the requirements of a pious, virtuous life. For example, those who shed someone's blood were not allowed to attend the Eleusinian mysteries. The fulfillment of state and public duties was also required. Subsequently, Great Eleusinia was recognized as a national holiday.

In the archaic era, the cult of Dionysus changed significantly, who became the god of vegetation, vineyards and winemaking, he was placed on a par with Apollo, and he began to personify the idea of the immortality of the human soul.

The religious and philosophical movement of the Orphics is associated with the cult of Dionysus and Demeter, which was allegedly founded by the mythical singer Orpheus, the son of the river god Eagras and the muse Calliope. The myth tells of the death of his wife Eurydice, who was bitten by a snake. Wanting to return his beloved wife, Orpheus descended into the underworld. By playing the cithara and singing, he charmed the guardian of the underworld Kerner, as well as Persephone, the wife of Hades. Orpheus was allowed to take Eurydice with him on the condition that, while leading her upward, he should not look back. However, curiosity won, he did look back (not at the beautiful Persephone?) and lost his wife. But Orpheus received knowledge about the soul. He told people that the soul is the beginning of good, a piece of deity, and the body is the prison of the soul. After the soul is released from the mortal body, it continues to exist and is reincarnated. Orpheus is even credited with the doctrine of metempsychosis - the transmigration of the soul from one body to another.

The teachings of the Orphics were subsequently adopted by philosophers (Pythagoreans and Neoplatonists) and Christian theologians. The mythology of the archaic era was associated with philosophy, as evidenced by the ancient Greek doctrine of the immortal soul. The mythological, lavishly artistically decorated ancient Greek religion did not have time to acquire frozen dogmatic forms in the same way as it was, for example, in Judaism. She did not have time to sharply separate herself from philosophy, and from science in general. The priesthood did not form a separate social group and did not become a caste. Rational thinking, which became an essential feature of the culture of that period, did not pass through religious thought and manifested itself in mythology. As a result, an original combination of cosmogonic and theogonic ideas occurred. The birth of the cosmos and the gods was over. The creator of everything was the god Chronos; he created a silver egg from chaos and ether, from which the god Dionysus, also known as Eros, emerged. Dionysus gave birth to Night, Earth and Sky. Earth and sky gave birth to Ocean, Fedita, Kron and Rhea. Cronus' son Zeus achieved power over all the gods and people who absorbed Dionysus, absorbing his power. But the goddess Persephone gave birth to a new god of wine and joy, also Dionysus, from Zeus. This is how gods are born and pass one into another, and with the development of the Cosmos, the divine pantheon develops, intertwines, and becomes more complex. Of course, there are many contradictions here. After all, this myth, attributed to Orpheus, was created in different places, at different times, was supplemented and refined, and, like any myth, became more fantastic. But he reflected an essential feature of the thinking of the ancient Greeks: they understood the world as such, which develops, changes, has certain laws these changes. Subsequently, this manifested itself in the philosophical school of the Milesians: Thales (about 625-547 AD), Anaximander (about 610-546 AD), Anaximenes (about 585-525 AD) AD), and then Heraclitus from Ephesus (about 540 - 480 AD) and Pythagoras (about 570-500 AD). So philosophical, scientific and religious thinking went side by side. Sometimes they interfered with each other, sometimes they complemented each other. It was a single stream of spiritual development that crystallized in the rich spiritual culture of the ancient Greeks.

The anthropomorphic idea of the Greeks about their gods inevitably entailed a corresponding attitude towards them; in their eyes, the gods were understandable and close humanoid creatures and wanted the same things as people. The Greek made a sacrifice to God himself and himself expressed what he wanted to receive: specific help, or, what is more realistic, advice or some kind of guarantee for the future. Priests were more administrators than priests. They looked after the temple, organized religious meetings, processions, and ceremonies. Their role in deciphering predictions and the consequences of fortune telling was very important. As already said, there was no hereditary class of priests. The priests were individual government officials (archon), as well as individuals of their choice, for a certain period of time.

Temples were a very important element of the ancient Greek religious cult. The most ancient temples of the Greeks were built back in the 12th century. to AD For the ancient Greeks, the temple was the home of the gods, who were personified in sculptures. The Greek temple takes its origin from the megaron of a residential building. At first, ordinary residential buildings were allocated for the gods. They were modest and unpretentious. Then they were specially built in places of traditional worship of the gods on mountain peaks, near sacred trees and springs, in sacred groves and oak forests. Since the temple was considered as the dwelling of the gods, it was equipped with everything necessary for this, with some changes: the hearth took on the appearance of an altar, a small room was allocated for storing temple utensils and dishes in the back, opisthodom ("back room"), in the front there was a canopy. , the central part of the temple was called naos, or cella. its large size required the use of columns; subsequently, columns appeared on the facade, a type of temple with columns at the entrance was formed - the prostyle type; a temple with columns on the back side was called amphitprostyle, with columns on both sides - peripterus ("winged on all sides"), and if there were two rows of columns - diptera. The construction of temples and their decoration with columns and statues stimulated the development of architecture and sculpture; they became the main directions of ancient Greek art and for a long time determined the path of development of all European art as a whole.

For the ancient Greeks, the temple was a place of religious worship, but at the same time it was also important public space. It contained public and private money and jewelry, works of art, various documents, archives, texts of laws were carved on stone slabs, as well as texts dedicated to outstanding events. Public meetings took place in temples and near them, decisions of kings, archons, and other leading officials were announced. The temple was not only a religious building, but also a certain political symbol. Hence it is clear why in the architecture of the ancient world, in particular among the Greeks, great attention was paid to their construction. Among the seven wonders of the ancient world, they name a structure with a completely religious purpose: the temple of Artemis of Ephesus, the statue of Olympian Zeus and the Colossus of Rhodes. One of the grandiose religious buildings of the ancient world was the statue of the Sun God, which was built by the architect Hares on the island of Rhodes bl. 290 rub. to AD The statue was 32 m high; The ancient Greeks did not know such a structure. But in 224 AD. the earthquake destroyed it. The wreckage of the Colossus was pulled out of the water, but Hares was no longer alive, and there was no one to restore the statue. In 672 AD Mustafa, the leader of the Saracen Turks, who then owned the island, sold them to an eastern merchant.

V and IV centuries. to AD This is the period of classical Greece. The main events take place in an area called Attica (Greek - coastal country). Generously endowed by nature, inhabited by an energetic and hardworking, thoughtful and brave people, well-learned by historical experience, Attica becomes a focal point of economic, political and cultural development, and its capital Athens is the center of all events. That is why this period in the development of Ancient Greece is also called Attic.

The role of Athens among other poleis grew as a result of the victories of the Athenians in the Greco-Persian wars (500-449 AD). Athens then headed the Delian League of States. In Athens itself, democracy was strengthened. Power belonged to the Council of Five Hundred (will), the people's court (helii) and the people's assembly (eklesia). It was the sovereignty of the people. Religion was under state supervision. Thus, the supervision of sacred property was carried out by the archons, who yielded their influence to the strategists, but it was they who presided over religious processions, sacrifices and sports competitions, which had a religious overtones.

It was these measures that united Athenian society. Participation in religious cults was mandatory for all citizens; the political lack of rights of slaves and metics (foreigners living in Athens) automatically excluded them from participation in them.

During the reign of the strategist Pericles from 443 to 430 BC. (this period is considered the golden era of Athenian democracy) the influence of religion remains unchanged and very significant. On Anropolis in 447-438 AD. The Parthenon was built. Architects Iktin and Callicrates placed in the majestic temple a statue of Athena, the patroness of the city, which was made by the sculptor Phidias. On the shield of Athena, Phidias depicted himself and Pericles, for which he was accused of blasphemy, imprisoned and died in prison. Marble stairs were built to the Acropolis, and the temple itself was decorated with numerous statues. The temple survived the entire ancient era. In the 5th century. Not. it became a Christian temple in the 15th century. - a Muslim mosque, and in 1686 it was destroyed by the Venetians. Now we can only admire its remains, but they also amaze with their beauty.

At that time, the temple of Demeter at Eleusis was rebuilt. It stood until 396 AD. and was destroyed by the Goths.

End of the 5th century. to AD eclipsed the heyday of the ancient world. The rivalry between the two powerful states of Athens and Sparta led to long-term internecine wars, which were collectively called the Peloponnesian Wars of 431-404. to AD Athens was defeated in these wars, but Sparta did not become the hegemon. The war exacerbated social contradictions, weakened democracy and weakened morality. The religion of the ancient Greeks did not protect them from bloody clashes, although the parties at war had common gods and common temples.

A protracted crisis of the ancient Greek polis arises, which was caused by minor military clashes and wars, coups and despotism. Meanwhile, in the East, the Persian Empire emerged. From the 4th century. to AD Macedonia rises among the Greek states. After the Corinthian Congress of 337 AD. Macedonia begins to dominate Greece. In 334 AD Alexander the Great began his campaign in Asia. Brilliant victories glorified the name of the outstanding commander for centuries. By the time of his death in 323 AD. A world empire was fabulously formed, which just as fabulously collapsed after his death.

In itself, Alexander’s Asian campaign had a certain significance for the development of world civilization. Along with the army, philosophers, historians, natural scientists, and priests went to new countries. Conquered cultures were not destroyed. Alexander did not deny the religion of the conquered countries, took part in their cults, and pursued the deification of his personality in all cults. He dreamed of creating a Greco-Persian nation. He chose Babylon as the capital of the new state, and the main temple of the new state should be there. But fate did not give Alexander the Great time to implement all his plans: a new world power did not emerge, a new nationality did not emerge, and a new religion did not arise. Such processes require centuries of cooperation between many peoples; a special social layer is needed that would be the engine of these processes. However, the campaigns of Alexander the Great gave a powerful impetus to the processes of rapprochement between the cult and religion of the ancient world and the Middle East.

After Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic era began, which lasted until the establishment of Roman hegemony. At this time, the decline of Greece, Macedonia, and Epirus occurred; the states of the Ptolemies and Seleucids emerged in the East, which brought new forms of social progress.

In III Art. to AD in the west of Hellas, the new state union of the Roman Republic begins to flourish, which is actively aggressive and civil wars and on the eve of its crisis of 133-131. to AD in 147 AD turns Macedonia into his province. Subsequently, all of Greece came under the rule of Rome.

The Hellenistic era has its own characteristics of religious history. First of all, this is a period of widespread religious tolerance. The cults of eastern deities are spreading in Greece, new supporters of the Greek gods appear in the East, Greek mythology becomes generally accepted, it acquires a national coloring in Asia Minor, the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt and Mesopotamia.

There is also a revival of local cults, local gods receive the names of well-known gods and local epithets. This indicates the objective need for religious syncretism in the process of strengthening ties between peoples.

The historian of ancient religion I.Est.Swiecytska notes that in the Hellenistic period, myths about savior gods became widespread, who would rid people of thoughts of death, instilling hope for salvation after the grave. The gods Osiris, Dionysus, and Attis entered into such traits. And at the same time, the veneration of the goddess Tyche (Fate) is growing, which testified to social inequality and uncertainty.

In the Hellenistic era, a connection emerged between the progress of religious consciousness and other forms of life in spiritual society.

The religion of the ancient Greeks received a significant impetus from the development of ancient Greek science and art. One can speak about such a connection more confidently than about the connection between science and art in Mesopotamia and Egypt. "Fundamentals" Euclid "Almagest" Ptolemy made all previous mathematical and astronomical achievements an achievement of history and began a new era in scientific development. As for ancient Greek art, there is nothing to say about it.