The gods have a dwelling place; they are not mere (a)   ; they have a concrete existence.

There were twelve main gods, the Olympians, over whom Zeus was chief. His wife, (a)   , was the especial patron of marriage.

Hades and Poseidon, Zeus’ brothers, had charge of the underworld and sea respectively, though Poseidon was also the god of (a)   and earthquakes.

Demeter was the goddess of (a)   .

(a)   was the goddess of love and sensuality.

Athena was one of the few (a)   goddesses, and the protector of Athens.

Apollo was the god of plagues, but best known as the god of prophecy: it was he who gave the Greeks oracular advice at oracular centres such as (a)   , where he spoke through the medium of the priestess known as the Pythia.

Artemis, Apollo’s twin sister, was a virgin goddess of the (a)   , and protector of women in childbirth.

Hephaestus was the god of (a)   work.

Despised amongst even the gods was Ares, delighting in (a)   and gore, with no real interest in who won or lost.

Hermes, with his winged sandals, was the (a)   of the gods, but also a tricktster and a thief.

Particular (a)   had particular areas of responsibility.

Greek religion lacked an organised religion in the sense that there was no full time priesthood, and no (a)   .

The Greeks believed that the gods took an interest in the affairs of the (a)   .

The sacrifice of (a)   in cults and rituals was the main, primary way in which the gods were worshipped.

Many (a)   were celebrated by the Greeks and the main event at these was the sacrificial procession.

Meat from sacrifices was shared out among the participants, with a share (a)   to the gods.

Myths recount tales and sagas of the gods, explain the (a)   among gods.

Those who had in some way offended the gods found a place of torture in the (a)   .

Cremation was widely practised in the classical period. The bones were gathered and buried, often with an elaborate (a)   .

Some cities actually had laws about the conduct of (a)   , usually to prevent ostentation and expense.

The Greeks could consult the gods directly through (a)   .

The (a)   was the house of the god; it often contained a statue of the deity.

A crucial factor in Greek religious belief was if the gods helped someone, they expected (a)   in return.

Individual cities had their own (a)   , honouring various gods at different times of the year.

There were festivals which all of the Greeks attended. These were known as (a)   festivals, held at Nemea, the Isthmus, Delphi and Olympia.

The Olympic festival was a religious celebration, held in honour of the god (a)   , who was thought of as watching the contests and being amused by them.

Women played important roles in (a)   : in fact, this was the most public and important social role which women had.