Introduction to City gods

What are city gods?

Who are the city gods of major Greek cities such as, Athens, Troy, Crete, Sicily, and Sparta?

How did city gods affect the lifestyle of the people living there?

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

What Are City gods?• City gods in Greek culture were simply god’s whom either had

a temple or oracle in the city or was considered a protector of the city.

• City gods developed based upon a following of the people from that city. In some cities, there may be a second god with a minor cult as well.

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

Index to City gods of Greece• Athens• Corinth• Ephesus• Crete• Sparta

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

Athens

• Athens was the capital city of Ancient Greece• Residents included everyone from

Philosophers to Warriors• Athena, goddess of the protectress of civilized

life, of artesian activities, and of agriculture was the city goddess.

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

Corinth

• The largest city in all of Ancient Greece• Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, was the

major goddess of the city.• The main temple to Aphrodite was in

Corinth

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

Ephesus

• Ephesus was among the largest cities in Greece

• Artemis, the Greek goddess of hunting and wilderness, was the city god for Ephesus.

• Artemis’ temple in Ephesus is one of the seven wonders of the world

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

Crete

• The people of Crete played a major role in Mediterranean trade• Hera, goddess of women and marriage,

was the goddess of Crete

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

Sparta• Sparta was more of a war based city with the

majority of male civilians being warriors.• Man from Sparta where pushed and trained to

be warriors and prided themselves in their survival skills and prowess on the battle field.

• Athena, goddess of the protectress of civilized life, of artesian activities, and of agriculture was the city goddess.

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

Affect of City gods on Lifestyle

• City gods had the same affect on their subjects as Poseidon, the god of the sea, did on anybody making a journey by water; they aimed to please them.

• Since Ancient Greek civilians strongly believed in the existence and omniscience of their gods, every aspect of their life revolved around them.

• So if a strong following of a second god developed, that group of followers then ended up considered a cult.

• Being labeled as a cult member doesn’t have any positive connotation or denotation anywhere, so you can imagine the controversy members who followed another god had to face.

Athens Corinth Ephesus Crete Sparta

References• greece-athens.com• datingadvicefromaguy.com• edenlifemag.com• chiropracticoutsidethebox.com• http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/6639-greek-city-states-and-

gods/• http://www.youbookit.net/sites/default/files/athens-greece_0.jpg• http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/images/corinth/

corinth-apollo-hlp-450.jpg• http://www.allistanbultours.com/images/ephesus-history.jpg• http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/greece/images/

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