Key Pages:
Home
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
[email protected]
Much of the ancient Greeks life and culture was based upon mythology and their views of different gods. Although many of the myth and stories appear to be ridiculously unrealistic to us today, for the Greeks these stories were part of the shaping of their everyday life. They saw the myths and stories about their gods to be a reality. Since they viewed these myths as being more historical, it gives their gods more of a mortal characteristic. On the Parthenon the gods are depicted as physically being human. When you think about it, the humanization of these gods causes the relationship of myth and history to almost be one in the same in the Greek eyes. The fact that the gods are depicted as human in scenes on the Parthenon and in other Greek artwork makes the people of Greece feel a connection with the God in many ways. It seems as if the gods would live among them. But between the stories associated with the gods and the fact that they are depicted as having flawless muscular bodies they remain separated in their own category from your everyday person.