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Religion

60 second histories

This video covers: Greek gods and how they were worshipped, in particular Athena and the Parthenon

I am the high priestess in a temple called the Parthenon, a magnificent building which stands high on the acropolis in Athens. Each city state has its own god. Ours, in Athens, is of course Athena goddess of wisdom, as well as crafts like weaving and spinning. The temple is the home of Athena but it’s outside the temple that we carry out religious ceremonies and worship. The Parthenon is beautifully decorated and has a huge statue of Athena, which stands fifteen meters high and is made of gold and ivory. In Athena’s right hand she holds Nike, goddess of victory, who is the only goddess to have wings. Have you ever heard of Nike? People come from all over Greece to visit our temple to pray and make offerings to Athena. You see, our people believe the gods watch over us and so in order to persuade them to look after us, we pray and offer gifts to them, so they will protect us from harm. People bring gifts of flowers, food and even money to please the gods and sometimes animals are killed as a sacrifice.
Eras: 
Ancient Greece
Topics: 
Religion
Character: 
Greek high priestess
Key words: 
Ancient Greece, Greek, Greece, high priestess, parthenon, city state, Athens, Athena, goddess, goddess of wisdom, crafts, weaving, spinning, ceremony, ceremonies, religious, religious ceremonies, Nike, goddess of victory, offerings, Greece, gifts, flowers, food, money, sacrifice, religion, KS2, key stage 2, key stage 2 history, primary, KS2 videos, KS2 clips, KS2 history, KS2 videos, KS2 history film, KS2 history clip, Greece, Greek, Grecian, Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek, Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6,