over the past year I've explored numerous museums and archaeological sites where I've come across countless statues and depictions of the Greek goddess Athena in this short video we'll take a look at some of these pieces while also going over some history about the goddess and her significance in ancient Greek [Music] society in a nutshell Athena was the patron goddess of wisdom handicrafts and military strength strategy as many of you have probably guessed she was also the patron deity of the city of Athens it's not known if the city was named after Athena or vice versa
though possibly the former since mention of Athena goes back to even before the Greeks came to the country that now Bears their name arguably the most iconic structure in Athens if not all of Greece is the great Temple dedicated to Athena on the Athenian Acropolis the paron the parthenon's most recent iteration was completed in 438 BC during athens's golden age now in Ruins its remains continue to impress and attract millions of tourists to Greece's Capital each year though associated with Athens Athena was not exclusively the goddess of the Athenians she was also extensively worshiped in
other cities especially Argos and even Sparta the latter which in Antiquity was often athens's great rival despite her prominence in ancient Greek religion art and culture Athena may not have been originally Greek linguists have noted that her name's atmology is unrelated to the Greek language most scholars believe that she began as a preg Greek aan goddess and was likely adopted by the early Greek speaking peoples who migrated to Mainland Greece in the late third millennium or early second millennium BC the earliest known written reference to Athena appears in a mean text from the ancient city
of kosis on cre where the phrase Lady of atana is mentioned however some Scholars question whether This truly refers to Athena or another deity others suggest that Athena may have been influenced by the ne Eastern goddess Ishtar who predates her and shares similar traits particularly as a war goddess by the start of the Archaic Period around 750 BC Athena had become a prominent deity within the Greek pantheon among the many myths surrounding her one of the most famous deals with her unique birth there are several versions of this story but according to hesiod Zeus swallowed
his first wife meus after a prophecy warned that she would bear a son that was destined to overthrow him however Zeus then developed a terrible headache and so the god apistos the patron of metal workers and Smiths opened up his skull to find the source of the pain and drive it out other versions of the myth claimed that it was a different God regardless of who it was out came Athena fully grown and clad in protective armor other popular myths and stories include her repeatedly appearing as a counselor to Heroes struggling against Monsters and villains
for example she helps Heracles with his 12 Labors protects and guides odyusa and AIDS the hero Perseus in killing Medusa Athena is often depicted wearing an armored breastplate a Corinthian style helmet and carrying a spear and shield she was also closely associated with snakes and most notably owls the latter which at least in folklore were known for their wisdom which was the perfect bird to represent Athena this is also the reason why you'll see an owl on many if not most Athenian coins though she has many titles Athena's most well-known epithet is Palace meaning to
brandish as in a weapon although she's associated with War Athena differed significantly from Aries the God of War while Aries embodied the chaos and destruction often inherent in Warfare Athena brought out the good traits the ideal Warrior needed to possess discipline strategy Justice honor and the courage and sacrifice needed to defend one's people and polus in Homer's Iliad she stands as a steadfast Ally of the aans or Greeks especially diomedes and achilles in their battles against the Trojans the ancient Greeks also credited Athena with the introduction of significant military innovations such as the ship the
horse Bridal and the war Chariot Beyond Warfare Athena is believed to have invented weaving spinning and other domestic crafts traditionally performed by women she was also the patron of carpenders and Potters the ancient Greeks and especially the Athenians believe that she introduced Humanity to Olive cultivation according to one myth Athena and posidon both both competed to become the patron deity of Athens Poseidon as god of the sea struck the Acropolis with his Trident creating a saltwater well while Athena planted an olive tree the people then chose her as their Patron since olives were of immense
value to the local economy by the late 400s BC the Athenian Acropolis was home to two major sanctuaries dedicated to Athena the first was the Parthenon which housed a 35t tall golden Ivory statue of Athena parthenos the second was the ereon which contained a smaller ancient Olivewood statue of Athena poas though even in Antiquity its exact age was unknown this simple wooden Idol was honored annually during the midsummer Festival of the panatha which was celebrated as Athena's birthday during the festival the people presented the goddess with a new Woolen gown another Summer Festival was known
as the pla when the poas statue was taken to the Sea and washed anyway I hope that you learn from this short video a bit more about the goddess Athena and why the ancient Greeks were so devoted to her stay tuned for more and thanks for watching I'd also like to thank the Channel's patrons for making videos like this possible these include but are certainly not limited to granek 69 Yap de graph pasta frola Michael Lewis Daniel Allen Danny Vanek wxtv Robert Morgan strobeck Frank Tim Lane sbastian rotard Korea Michael trudell leader Titan Micah G
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