Existing comment:
Worship:
The Greek and Roman religions were based not on believing in a credo or doctrine but on paying honor to the gods in order to maintain the proper balance in the universe, the pax deorum ("Peace of the Gods"). In both the public and private sphere, these religions were focused on the here and now; they were religions of doing rather than believing, often with the explicit understanding of do ut des -- "I give that you might give." Votives were often given -- or promised -- to a deity in the hope that the deity would intervene on the dedicant's behalf.
The central act of "doing" was the sacrifice, whether it was the slaughter of an animal on a public altar, the pouring out of a portion (libation) of wine before a meal, or the dedication to the gods of a portion of booty captured from a defeated enemy.
The public, or official religion, was celebrated with festivals (which included sacrifices) and processions, such as the panathenaic procession depicted on the frieze of the principal Athenian temple to Athena, the Parthenon (the temple itself was a form of civic votive offering to the goddess). Mystery rites and ecstatic rituals also existed, such as those associated with the god Dionysos, whose followers are often shown dancing and carousing. |