Concluding Thoughts...

Throughout this course I have seen the extent to which the Greek world was ‘full of gods’. Being a polytheistic religion, the pantheon is a key aspect of their religion that is both intriguing and difficult to examine. There is a constant risk of oversimplifying the pantheon by studying the deities separately, yet one needs to be cautious not to force them into a structure.

In focusing on the pantheon and how the deities relate, it became apparent that the key to understanding them lies in their epithets. I continued with this line of reasoning by taking a traditional approach; evaluating Artemis’ paradoxical character through her epithets. Although this allowed me to understand her in depth, I realised that my knowledge of her was limited for I did not know how her ‘savageness’ manifested in the presence of other deities. Subsequently, I took a ‘Parisian’ approach to Apollo’s study once I became intrigued by the duality in his character, except I chose to evaluate it in association with Hermes. Although there are aspects of Apollo I have been able to explore in depth, taking a structured approach has allowed me to comprehend how they interrelate within the pantheon, which ultimately was my aim during this assessment. Additionally, by focusing on the relationship between the deities, it allowed me to challenge the supremacy of Zeus in the pantheon. Aspects of his characters that have long been overlooked, such as his weakness for Aphrodite’s power of lust, suggests he is not the tyrant I originally believed him to be.

Athena Comic book by George O'Connor

The ancient Greek society will never stop being intriguing. It is over two thousands years later and the essence of their culture is very much alive in our societies, whether that is by new historians like myself being captivated by their civilization, or by the creation of books, games like “God of war” or movies such as “Immortals” or even graphic novels being based on different aspects of their culture. Although such games, movies and books are not historically accurate, what is significant is that to this day their culture stands.

Interest in the ancient Greek world will never cease to exist.