Skip to main content

Gods and Goddesses and Spartan

Zeus - ruler of heaven and earth; father of Athena; god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice.  
Had a temper and was known to hurl thunderbolts.
Athena- Goddess of wisdom, skill,  warfare (and peace), intelligence, battle strategy, and handicrafts.
She was born from Zeus' head fully formed and armoured.
A special patron of heroes - such as Odysseus.
She was the patron of Athens (the city was named after her).
Apollo - god of music, arts, knowledge, healing
  • Zeus was his father, Artemis was his twin sister
  • he’s associated with the sun, his sister with the moon
Poseidon - god of the sea, rivers, floods, earthquakes
  • brother of Zeus, king of the sea and waters
Aphrodite - goddess of love, beauty, desire, sexuality
  • her lovers included Ares (god of war), Adonis (demi-god of desire), and Anchises (a mortal who fathered a baby)
Demeter - goddess of grain, harvest, agriculture
  • Zeus’s sister



Spartans
  • Greeks were certainly a warlike people - especially the Spartans
  • Spartans were known for their tough, ruthless infantry: soldiers who fought on land
  • Spartan boys trained from the time they were seven
  • real Spartans were much more fearsome than those oily gym rats in the movie 300 (IMHO)

Athens- Naval Power
  • Athens had a great infantry, too, but nothing could compare with their navy
  • their most effective weapon was the trireme

Trireme
  • a technological marvel
  • fastest ship in the world at the time
  • rowed by up to 170 men on three levels
  • could be used as a battering ram
  • agile, fast

Comments