The Greeks were one of the most religious societies in the ancient world. With roots in Minoan culture, West Asian beliefs, and Central Asian gods, religion permeated virtually every aspect of Greeks' life -- from politics and culture to family, morals, agriculture, festivals, games, as well as beliefs about nature and the origin of life (Carr). The Greeks strongly believed that there were invisible, all-powerful gods and goddesses that controlled every occurrence. As a society, therefore, it was important to maintain a good relationship with the gods through prayer, sacrifice, and leading a good (morally upright) life. The prayers and sacrifices were made in sacred sites and temples where the gods were erected in their personified forms (Cartwright). Gods were also believed to reside in mountains.Religion in ancient Greece was strongly tied to natural phenomena like rain, storms, plagues, earthquakes, and volcanoes (Carr). There were gods for each of these phenomena. Through prayer and sacrifice, the society believed that the gods could be appeased to control the phenomena. For instance, people prayed to have enough rain, hence prevent starvation. Prayers and sacrifices were also made to end plagues or earthquakes. In fact, when a plague of an earthquake occurred, it was believed that the people or rulers had angered the gods. Prayers and sacrifices were, therefore, conducted to please and appeal to the gods to end the misfortunes (Cartwright).

The Greeks also consulted...

By praying and sacrificing, the gods would grant them victory against their adversaries. At the family or individual level, parents would pray and sacrifice for their sick children. They would also appeal to the gods for journey mercies and success in school. People went to oracles to seek guidance from the gods. They would ask gods to provide answers for matters such as personal life, medicine, business, war, and philosophy (Carr).
With strong adherence to religion, the society strongly believed that the gods rewarded good behaviour and punished bad behaviour (Carr). Therefore, how one behaved mattered a lot. In other words, good things happened to good people, and bad things happened to bad people. Indeed, unfortunate occurrences like enduring illness were believed to be punishment from the gods for wrongdoing (Cartwright). It was, therefore, important for people to lead a good life. Right from a tender age, children were taught about the gods and the behavioural standards that were expected of them (Carr). This was important for avoiding the wrath of the gods.

One of the most important gods in ancient Greek religion was Zeus, whose Roman equivalent was Jupiter. Zeus was the king of the Olympian gods and controlled the sky, weather, fate and destiny, law and order, and kinship (Atsma). He was portrayed as a ceremonial, strong male with a dark beard. Zeus's most unique characteristic was his lightning…