The word "pantheon" has several definitions, one way or another connected with each other, this article discussed in detail all of its values.
What pantheon?
word "pantheon" comes from the Greek pan ("all") and theos ("god"), which is a common name for all the gods, belonging to any religion or mythology.The ancient Greeks and Romans called as a temple dedicated to all gods.Also, this definition is suitable to refer to monumental buildings, structures, where prominent personalities are buried.Most often, this word is used to describe a group of gods of a particular mythology (Sumerian, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and other Slavic).Beliefs of ancient civilizations, as opposed to the more modern religions, tend to a large number of deities belonging to different spheres of society.
Pantheon in Rome
the question "what is the pantheon of" Rome probably answer "the temple of all the gods."It is a unique landmark modern capital of Italy, an architectural masterpiece of ancient Rome.It was built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian in 126 CE.e., during the last heyday of the Empire.Roman pantheon was the reconstruction of the "Temple of the Gods", which built by Marcus Agrippa.His name is immortalized as the first builder in the building.It is the largest domed church of that era, and until the XIX century, it could not be beat.Pantheon in Rome (photo presented in the article) is a model of the dome architecture temples.Many have tried to copy it, but could not get around it in scale and grandeur.He looks very massive.Monolithic blank walls around the perimeter pass in front portico, consisting of two rows of giant columns, entirely hewn from granite.The dome of the Pantheon is a miracle of engineering art of the time.It is made in a regular hemisphere, its diameter is 43 m, the dome height equal to the height of the walls.In the center of the dome is called the eye of the Pantheon - a huge round window with a diameter of 9 m. It is the only source of light in the rotunda - the main hall of the Pantheon.Along the marble walls of the rotunda are niches where the statues were originally supreme Roman deities, and now - the burial of famous personalities and altars.When Rome adopted Christianity, the Pantheon was abandoned, and the gilded bronze plated dome and portico were taken to other churches.Later, in the year 609 BC.e., the Roman Pantheon was given to the Christian church.From the time it began to bury prominent figures of culture and arts, as well as members of royal families.There is, for example, the tomb of Raphael, the first king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, and others.
gods of ancient Rome
One version of the answer to the question: "What is the pantheon?" - A collection of deities of a particular mythology, in this case, it will be about Rome.It is in honor of the gods of antiquity have built such a miracle, the Roman Pantheon, which was mentioned earlier.The Romans were incredibly practical and adopt the best of the various peoples of neighboring or conquered.Main pantheon of gods, they borrowed from the ancient Greeks and renaming, fit them into their core dogma.Unlike the ancient Greek, Roman deities have not been his Olympus, they are often portrayed as characters.Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus were major triad pantheon reflecting the three main functions of society: religious and priestly, military, and economic.Apart from them there was a whole host of other gods, deities and spirits lower.Various gods patronized all spheres of human life and the environment.There were, for example, the gods of the seas, forests, hunting, fertility, agriculture, animal husbandry, the hearth;gods that protected the life and helped in childbirth, child care, marriage and kept many others.Among the most famous: Janus - who created the world and mankind, Jupiter - the supreme god of thunder and lightning, the protector of the emperors, Pluto - the god of death and the underworld, Neptune - god of the sea and the entire body of water, Vulcan - patron of the blacksmith god of fire and,Mars - a militant, although it was originally the god of fertility.It is believed that he was the father of Romulus and Remus - the founders of Rome, so he found his protector and patron.Also known Mercury, Minerva, Venus, Bacchus, Phoebus, which consists mainly of the Roman pantheon of gods.
Ancient Greece
In Greek mythology, a very important component of a peculiar and complicated genealogy.Equally important is the chronological order of events.Originally chaos as the basis of the universe, from which with the help of Eros appeared Uranus and Gaia (earth and sky), they became husband and wife.From them they were born giants and Cyclopes, which overthrew Uranus in Tartarus.Following the Titans were born, the most famous of which are: Themis (goddess of justice), Mnemosyne (goddess of memory), Ocean, Rhea and Kronos, which was to rule the world and married Rhea.According to the prophecy he had to overthrow their own children, so he swallowed all of their children.But his wife had saved the youngest, Zeus, she hid.When Zeus grew up, he forced his father to return the other children swallowed.Then there was a war between the gods and the Titans, in which Zeus and the other gods helped win giants and Cyclopes, whom he brought back from Tartarus.Zeus was the supreme god of the sky, thunder and lightning, has power over all things.Together with his brothers and sisters, he lived on the sacred Mount Olympus.Greek pantheon consists of twelve main Olympic gods: Zeus, Poseidon (god of the sea), Hera (his wife, the goddess of marriage and family), Hades (the god of the kingdom of the dead), Ares (God of War), Aphrodite (the wife of Ares, the goddess of love andBeauty), Athena (goddess of wisdom), Demeter (goddess of fertility), Hephaestus (god of blacksmiths and artisans), Artemis (goddess of hunting), Hermes (the god of trade and eloquence), Dionysus (god of wine).Besides these, there are also other deities, spirits, nymphs.
Conclusion In this article received a detailed response to the question: "What is the pantheon?" - On its main examples.Of course, in addition to Greek and Roman pantheons there are also Egyptian, Sumerian, and many other Slavic cultures and mythologies of various peoples.They are worthy of study and attention, but their detailed analysis is necessary to devote a separate article.
