When it came down to the founding story of Athens, it is said that Athena competed actively with Poseidon, the Greek god of water and the sea, over which of the two would be the patron of the city. As a tactful goddess, Athena is known to be well-versed in warfare and handicrafts such as weaving. READ MORE: Hera: Greek Goddess of Marriage, Women, and Childbirth Athena: The goddess of AthensĪs for this next city god, almost everyone can agree: Athena is a tough cookie. It remains in the same place today as it did over 7,000 years ago, permitting it the claim as one of the most continuously inhabited places ever. Once a formative opponent against ancient Sparta for dominance over the Peloponnese region in Southern Greece, Argos failed to act during the Greco-Persian Wars (499-449 BC), which included the famed Battle of Thermopylae, and soon fell out of favor with other city-states as a result. The two Homeric poems revolve around the events that lead up to and immediately following the bloody Trojan War.Īlthough the events of the Trojan War are debated amongst historians, with many doubting it even happened, Argos certainly does exist. Now, Argos may sound familiar to those who are knowledgeable about the heroic epics The Iliad and The Odyssey. Her city god cult primarily worshiped her in the Heraion of Argos, which was discovered in 1831. Moreover, if the myths surrounding her are to be believed, it would make sense to have a goddess as dedicated to her role as Hera to be the one to shield the progeny of Argos.
In the ancient city of Argos, Hera was revered for her qualities as a guardian of childbirth. She is the goddess of marriage, after all, and unfortunately for her, she was tricked into a miserable one. Saying that her temper can be excused as being her fierce attempt to guard the sanctity of her marriage. Time and time again, she proves herself to be a very jealous partner, going to great lengths to kill Zeus’ illegitimate children and torment the women with whom he had affairs. Of all the Greek gods and goddesses, Hera is noted to be a formidable foe. READ MORE: Apollo: The Greek God of Music and the Sun Hera: The goddess of Argos Miletus itself shares a name with its mythical founder, Miletus, the son of Apollo and the nymph Areia.Īs the story goes, Areia laid her newborn in a collection of greenbriar (also known as smilax), and upon coming across the child, Areia’s father, Cleochus, named him after the plant. Although research is still being conducted, a temple of Artemis had been unearthed as recently as 2013, and inscriptions indicate popular worship of Hecate, a cousin of the divine twins and the goddess of magic. Meanwhile, in Miletus, Apollo reigned from the sanctuary of Didyma. In this manner, the Oracle would give a select few insights into the future and advice on resolving a present conflict. Pythia - the first in a long line of Delphic oracles and a high priestess at the Temple of Apollo - claimed that the God of Light and Truth would speak through her. Being the home of the coveted Oracle of Delphi, the city was famous. In the former, Apollo’s connection to prophecy is clear. As a result, he was frequently named the patron god of many Greek city-states as a result.Īccounting for some of these cities, there are two notable locations where Apollo was the patron city god: the once-believed center of the Earth, Delphi, and the Meander River-based town of Miletus. Apollo: The God of Delphi and MiletusĪs the god of archery, music, poetry, prophecy, and also the Greek god of the sun, Apollo was a comparatively popular god amongst the common folk.
Most of the time, Grecian city-states ( polis) opted to have a singular patron god - or occasionally multiple at the same time- that would often relate to a myth surrounding the founding of the city. Polytheistic worship of a pantheon of Olympian gods and goddesses was the modus operandi of those living throughout the ancient Greek world. From Greece to China, as well as Phoenicia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, city god cults can be found all over the world. The City God of Babylon in Ancient MesopotamiaĨ City Gods and City God Cults from Around the World Cylindrical altar of gods showing Apollo, one of the Greek city godsĬities from cultures all around the world have a long history of adopting deities to be their patrons.City Gods of Ancient Egypt: Ptah and Banebdjedet.Ba’alat Gebal: The Phoenician Goddess of Byblos.
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