Essay Ritual Pollution and Homicide Cases - 1818 Words

Religion and superstition played a large part in the everyday life of a classical Athenian, and there was a heavy emphasis on ritual and reverence to the gods. Athenians believed that certain crimes – e.g. homicide – disrupted the sanctity of their city, causing an imbalance they referred to as â€Å"pollution.† Restoring balance was of the utmost importance. Otherwise, they believed that the gods would punish them with losses in battle, bad crops, and an overall miserable existence. Rituals played a very important role in ancient Greek society. Certain cities, sites, and temples were sacred. The tradition of naming certain spiritual places areas of asylum was Asylia. These asylums were â€Å"immune to violence and civil authority† and thus†¦show more content†¦The miasma was problematic for Greeks because of its supposed negative impact on people and places that were innocent of any wrongdoings. Thus, it was extremely important to remove the polluted elements through sacred rituals (Von Rà ¶sch 2012). Historical texts stressed the severe impact of certain crimes on Greek society. For example, murdering one’s parents or abusing one’s children was especially heinous to the Greeks. The Erinyes (also known as the furies in Roman mythology) were a set of beastly-looking mythical figures that haunted those who had committed homicidal acts against their own family. They continued to harass and bring ill favor to those who committed these crimes, until they felt the restoration of justice – which sometimes involved the offender’s death. The most famous case of the Erinyes in Greek literature concerns the tale of Orestes, whose story features prominently in the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. In Aeschylus’ Eumenides, the Erinyes act as the prosecutor against Orestes after charging him with killing his mother, Clytemnestra. Orestes claims the matricide was justified, as Clytemnestra killed Orestes’ father, Agamemnon. This is an i mportant story concerning homicide and ritual pollution, because Orestes insists on seeking a fair and proper resolution by appealing first toShow MoreRelatedThroughout history religion has played an important role influencing various societies. Religious1800 Words   |  8 Pagesseparation between church and state. The religious beliefs of Athenians directly affected the aspects of the legal system. Many Athenian laws stem from religious facets. Laws prevented individuals from disrespecting or defiling the deities. In the case of the defense of a farmer, the law charged the defendant with â€Å"destruction of a sacred olive tree† The olive tree represents the Goddess Athena and destruction of this tree is seen as sacrilegious. 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