1. RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY Religion played an important role in the daily life of the ancient Greeks. Families began their day with prayers at an altar in the courtyard of their homes. The major gods were called the Olympians. People believed Zeus and his family of gods lived high above the clouds on Mount Olympus. No humans could visit Olympus unless they received a special invitation.

2. ● Myths were an important part of religion. They were tales of the lives of the gods. Others explained acts of nature. ● To please the gods, people built beautiful temples for the gods and goddesses to live in when they visited earth. Example: Athenians built the Parthenon for goddess Athena. ● Greeks thought that the gods had magical powers and lived forever. They thought that the gods created disasters, made people go to war, or even helped people fall in love. ● Each of the Gods had a symbol to represent them in some way.

3. The Greeks offered prayers, gifts and animal sacrifices to the gods so they would help and protect them in their everyday lives. They believed that Zeus sat on a golden throne atop Mount Olympus and ruled the family of gods. Hades, god of the Underworld, was also considered a main god. However, his brother Zeus did not often welcome him on Mount Olympus.

4. God/Goddess Project You will be assigned a god/goddess, or monster to research. You need to include the backstory of their lives. Why were they important? What were their powers? OR for monsters what did they do to people? You will create a either a story, play, rap song, a model to represent your myth. Make sure you are as creative as possible. Also very detailed. You will present your story to our class