Classical Civilisation - Women in Religion

a greek priestess

• libations

• food offerings

• valuable objects

• an animal is killed at the altar and its blood was allowed to cover the altar

• the priestess would pray and some of the animal meat would be burnt for the gods

• all female celebrants would shout ‘ololyge’

• all celebrants would then have a communal feat with the remaining meat

a prophet, seer or soothsayer

• examine the entrails after an animal sacrifice

• for a specific question, the mantis would inspect the internal organs

• interpreting flights patterns of birds

• interpreting weather changes

many of their prophecies were often vague so that they could leave a lot of room to interpretation (so they could not be proven wrong and their reputation damaged)

• holding a liver in her hand

• standing near a palm tree

the most important greek mantis

sanctuary of apollo at delphi

• she’s sitting on a tripod

• she may be holding a laurel branch

• her head is covered

• holding a libation

• visited by a man

• on the seventh day of each month (consultation day)

• she’d bathe herself in a nearby spring

• she’d garland herself with bay leaves

• she’d sit on a tripod

• she’d burn barley and laurel leaves as an offering to apollo, and breathe in the fumes and go into a trance-like state

• she ‘temporarily allowed apollo to take control of her body’ when she inhaled the fumes

• inquirers (always men) brought offerings and sacrificed an animal before asking a question

• the pythia would make noises which would be interpreted by a temple priest

• normally these were also quite ambiguous

• to honour the birthday of Athena

• to celebrate the victory of the gods over the titans (the gigantomachy)

• the panathenaia was held every year for athena’s birthday

• every four years, the great panathenaia would be held to celebrate the gigantomachy

everyone except slaves

• wrestling

• running

• chariot racing

• poetry reading

• javelin

• they could watch the events

• they were part of the procession on day six

• the peplos was woven by Ergastinai (professional weavers)

• on a loom set up by four Arrephoroi (minor priestesses)

• the peplos was paraded through the streets during the procession and given to the statue of the goddess Athena on a temple in the acropolis

• a long dress that reaches the floor

• Athena’s woven peplos would be dyed purple and saffron (two of the most expensive colours)

to honour Demeter and ensure the success of the next years harvest

every autumn

the festival was exclusively for married athenian women

three days

day 1 - worshippers took up temporary assembly near the Pnyx

day 2 - worshippers would fast and sit on the ground, covering themselves in ashes

day 3 - worshippers would pray for blessings related to fertility

• (some time before) piglets would be cast into a chasm and their decomposed remains would be retrieved during the festival. these remains were mixed with corn seed and laced on the altar, then scattered on the fields

• the women would make crude jokes to one other

they were both mystery cults - only the ones who were part of the festivals were allowed to know the details

women would go out into the countryside and become intoxicated and dance and sing

maenads

• loose hair

• ivory crown

• holding a thrysus

• loose clothing or exposing clothing

• wearing leopard skin / near leopards

• barefoot

• wash the body

• dress any wounds

• anoint the body with perfumed oils

• clothe the body in white burial shroud

• place garlands of flowers on the body

• place a coin in the mouth of the dead person

• they’d cut their hair short

• dress in tattered clothing

• dirty themselves with ashes

• wail

• tear their hair

• scratch their cheeks till they drew blood

• direct relatives

• women over the age of sixty

the body is carried in a procession called the ekphora from the deceased’s house to the burial site

in their wedding clothes, signifying they are wedded to death