Ancient Greek Religion by Jon D. Mikalson - Article Example

Mikalson (2005, Preface) utilizes the “quotations or summaries of important ancient writings,” which involve the Homeric Hymns to Demeter and Apollo, Bacchae and Ion of Euripides, Thesmophoriazusae of Aristophanes, the description of Olympia in the book of Pausania, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and the poems written by Hesiod and Pindar (par. 5). The literary pieces present the culture and tradition of ancient Greek, which are mostly written by Hesiod and Homer. According to Coldstream (2003), the religious beliefs and behaviors of ancient Greeks were influenced by the heroic adventure or epic, which contained in the Greek literature.

The Greek writers produced an image of gods, which signifies that Greek gods are products of authors’ imagination or a fictitious character that symbolized Greek mythology. The Greek mythology created Zeus as the ruler, Hades that lived in the underworld, Poseidon as the god of the sea, and Athena. The author added that adjacent to the widespread popularity of epics and heroic literature, the cults began to emerge wherein Greeks followed the customs and tradition including the burial of royalty.

The literary evidence is supported by the artistic manifestation from the book including photos of Poseidons’ statue, the bronze head of Zeus or Poseidon, Athenian amphora (drawing), and the recreation of the Sanctuary of Athena. Crotty (2007) asserts that the book’s features are loaded with illustrations such as “maps, black and white photos, details of paintings” (p. 252). Moreover, Mikalson (2005) uses epigraphical evidence or the study of the Greek texts, which are translated and inserted in his discussion.

Mikalson (2005) also provided archaeological shreds of evidence, which is mostly found in the Museum, such as the acropolis of Athens, marble altar, Erechteheum, and the Athena coin. Wyles (2006) affirms that the artifacts and photographs of historical sites “give an insight into the contemporary attitudes towards religion” (p. 386). The ancient Greek religion is viewed by Garrison (2006) as “custom of the city, civic religion, and public ceremony” (p. 191). Thus, religion is the accepted tradition and practices of Greeks, which originated from the classical epic in literature.

Moreover, the concept of Greek’s religion proved that the city’s socio-economic aspect was connected with their religious practices and beliefs.