Gods have not been at the very centre of modern discussions of Greek religion. Yet there are several questions worth asking. What did the Greeks see as important differences between themselves and the gods, and between gods and heroes? Which factors helped to define the identity of individual gods (§ 1)? How do we study the pantheon (§ 2)? What did the Greeks consider to be the sphere of influence of individual gods? What was the nature of the divine hierarchy? Last but not least, were the gods persons or powers (§ 3)?

Popular ideas about Greek places of worship are much influenced by the splendour of a few surviving temples, such as Athena’s Parthenon or Poseidon’s temple at Sounion. Yet these aesthetically pleasing but ruined and empty buildings give little insight into their former functions. So let us first look at sanctuaries proper (§ 1), then their locations (§ 2) and, finally, their secular and religious functions (§ 3).

In his handbook, Burkert considers ritual to be the cornerstone of Greek religion and, accordingly, starts his analysis with a chapter called ‘Ritual and sanctuary’. As he uses the term ‘ritual’ as self-evident, we will start with some introductory observations on the use of the term and on the possibilities for studying ancient ritual (§ 1). Subsequently we analyse important ritual acts, such as prayer, procession and, in particular, sacrifice (§ 2). We conclude the chapter with a discussion of various larger ritual complexes (§ 3).

Myth played an important role in Greek religion: it illustrated and defined the roles of gods and heroes (Ch. II.1); it explained aspects of rituals (Ch. IV.3), showed correct or deviant patterns of behaviour, and reflected on human behaviour and the cosmos. Since, of all aspects of Greek religion, myth has probably drawn the greatest attention and the largest number of different approaches, we start with a short historical survey of these approaches and a discussion of recent definitions (§ 1). Then we analyse origins and uses of myth (§ 2) and study the relations between myth and ritual (§ 3). We conclude by looking at some changes in the popularity of myths, as reflected by the visual arts, and the nature of myth itself (§ 4).

Historians and anthropologists use the term ‘gender’ to denote the social meanings and cultural constructions of femininity and masculinity instead of the physical connotations of sex. Although anthropologists have also done some work on concepts of masculinity, recent studies of Greek religion have mainly analysed positions and representations of women, in so far as they have focused on gender differences at all. We will therefore first look at some elements of the female life cycle and daily life (§ 1), then look at representations of women in art and myth and at goddesses as possible role models (§ 2), and conclude with a discussion of the most important women’s festivals (§ 3).

Although we have already noticed various changes in the period under survey, we, too, have been insufficiently (Ch. I.1) able to escape a certain static view. In this last chapter, therefore, we will concentrate on changes in Greek religion. We first discuss the Eleusinian mysteries (§ 1), then Orphic ideas and Bacchic mysteries (§ 2), and conclude with a sketch of the more structural transformations during the transition to the Hellenistic period (§3).