Ancient Greece believed in many gods and had a widespread mythology. Rituals and ceremonies were performed at altars to offer sacrifices and libations to the gods. Ancient Egypt mummified bodies to preserve them for the afterlife, removing organs and filling the body with linen or sawdust over 70 days. Mesopotamian cities each had their own patron god and temple, while Marduk was the primary god of Babylon. Canada has a religiously diverse population, with around 75% identifying as Christian across its provinces.
2. RELIGION IN ANCIENT GREECE
MYTHOLOGY:
ANCIENT GREECE BELIEVED IN MANY GODS. MANY GREEK CITIZENS
RECOGNIZED THESE MAJOR GODS, ZEUS, POSEIDON, HADES, APOLLO, ARTEMIS,
APHRODITE, ARES, DIONYSUS, HEPHAESTUS, ATHENA, HERMES, DEMETER,
HESTIA, AND HERA. GREEK RELIGION HAD A WIDE-SPREAD OF MYTHOLOGY. IT
CONSISTED LARGELY OF STORIES OF THE GODS IN WHICH THEY BELIEVED IN
AND OF HOW THEY AFFECTED HUMANS ON EARTH. MYTHS OFTEN REVOLVED
AROUND HEROES AND THEIR ACTIONS, SUCH AS HERACLES AND HIS TWELVE
LABORS, ODYSSEUS AND HIS VOYAGE HOME, JASON AND THE QUEST FOR THE
GOLDEN FLEECE AND THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR.
3. RELIGION IN ANCIENT GREECE
CEREMONIES:
GREEK CEREMONIES AND RITUALS WERE MAINLY PERFORMED AT ALTARS.
THESE WERE TYPICALLY DEVOTED TO ONE OR A FEW GODS, AND SUPPORTED A
STATUE OF THE PARTICULAR DEITY. VOTIVE DEPOSIT WOULD BE LEFT AT THE
ALTAR, SUCH AS FOOD, DRINKS, AS WELL AS PRECIOUS OBJECTS.
SOMETIMES ANIMAL SACRIFICES WOULD BE PERFORMED HERE, WITH MOST OF
THE FLESH EATEN, AND THE OFFAL (PARTS OF A BUTCHERED ANIMAL? BURNT AS
AN OFFERING TO THE GODS. LIBATIONS, OFTEN OF WINE, WOULD BE OFFERED
TO THE GODS AS WELL, NOT ONLY AT SHRINES, BUT ALSO IN EVERYDAY LIFE,
SUCH AS DURING ASYMPOSIUM.
4. RELIGION IN ANCIENT EGYPT
MUMMIES:
IN ANCIENT EGYPT WHEN A PERSON DIES, THERE IS A PROCESS CALLED
“MUMMIFICATION” FOR THE DEAD BODY. THE EGYPTIANS BELIEVED IN LIFE
AFTER DEATH. THEY BELIEVED THAT THEY HAD TO PRESERVE THEIR BODIES SO
THEY COULD USE THEM IN THE AFTERLIFE. THE EGYPTIANS BELIEVED THAT
WHEN THEY DIED, THEY WOULD MAKE A JOURNEY TO ANOTHER WORLD WHERE
THEY WOULD LEAD A NEW LIFE. THEY WOULD NEED ALL THE THINGS THEY HAD
USED WHEN THEY WERE ALIVE, SO THEIR FAMILIES WOULD PUT THOSE THINGS
IN THEIR GRAVES. EGYPTIANS PAID VAST AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO HAVE THEIR
BODIES PROPERLY PRESERVED. EGYPTIANS WHO WERE POOR WERE BURIED IN
THE SAND WHILST THE RICH ONES WERE BURIED IN A TOMB.
5. RELIGION IN ANCIENT EGYPT
HOW WERE MUMMIES MADE?
This process will take a long time, from start to finish, it took about 70 days to preserve a
body. The minister in charge would wear the mask of a jackal representing the god,
Anubis.
1. The body was washed and purified.
2. Organs were removed. Only the heart remained.
3. The body was filled with stuffing.
4. The body was dried by covering it with a substance called natron*. This substance
absorbed all the moisture from the body.
5. After 40 - 50 days the stuffing was removed and replaced with linen or sawdust.
6. The body was wrapped in strands of linen and covered in a sheet called a shroud.
7. The body was placed in a stone coffin called a sarcophagus.
The mummy was now ready for its journey to the afterlife.
6. RELIGION IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
GODS IN MESOPOTAMIA:
EACH CITY HAD ITS OWN GOD. AT THE CENTER OF THE CITY, THERE
IS A LARGE TEMPLE OR ZIGGURAT BUILT TO THAT GOD. THIS WAS
WHERE THE PRIESTS WOULD LIVE AND MAKE SACRIFICES. SOME
OF THE ZIGGURATS WERE HUGE AND REACHED GREAT HEIGHTS.
THEY LOOKED LIKE STEP PYRAMIDS WITH A FLAT TOP.
7. RELIGION IN MESOPOTAMIAGODS:
THE CITY OF BABYLON HAS MANY GODS. ALTHOUGH, MARDUK WAS
THE PRIMARY GOD OF THE BABYLONIANS. HE WAS CONSIDERED
THE SUPREME DEITY OVER ALL THE OTHER GODS. HE HAD AS
MANY AS 50 DIFFERENT TITLES. HE WAS SOMETIMES PICTURED
WITH HIS PET DRAGON.
SUMER HAD MANY GODS TO AND THEY WERE ALL IMPORTANT.
ENLIL WAS THE GOD OR WIND, AIR, AND STORMS. ANU, SOMETIMES
CALLED AN WAS THE GOD OF THE HEAVENS AND KING OF THE
GODS.
8. RELIGION IN CANADA
RELIGION:
CANADA HAS MANY DIFFERENT RELIGIONS THAT DIFFERENT
PEOPLE BELIEVE IN. SOME OF THE MAIN RELIGIONS INCLUDE,
CHRISTIANITY (AROUND 75% OF THE POPULATION), MUSLIM,
BUDDHIST, JEWISH, AND SOME MAY NOT HAVE ANY RELIGION AT
ALL. MOST CANADIAN CHRISTIAN CITIZENS FREQUENTLY HAVE TO
ATTEND CHURCH SERVICES (MASS) ON SUNDAY.
9. RELIGION IN CANADA
Province/Territory
Christians[65]
Newfoundland and
Labrador
97.1%
Nunavut 93.2%
Prince Edward Island 92.8%
New Brunswick 91.4%
Quebec 90.2%
Nova Scotia 86.9%
Saskatchewan 82.6%
Northwest
Territories
79.9%
Manitoba 77.8%
Canada 77.1%
Ontario 74.5%
Alberta 71.3%
Yukon 58.4%
British Columbia 54.9%
-Here is a table of the
percentage of Christians in
Canada and of each province
and territory.
-There aren’t that many
Jews, and Muslims in
Canada
10.
11. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ancient Greek. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Ancient_Greek_religion#Festivals>.
Ancient Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014.
<http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/egypt/
mummies.htm>.
Ancient Mesopotamia. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. <http://www.ducksters.com/
history/mesopotamia/religion_gods.php>.
Religion in Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Religion_in_Canada>.