In Ancient Greece, there was a belief that below the world of the living, there was a horrible land called the Underworld. When a person died, it was believed that they passed into the afterlife, also known as Hades Realm. Hades is the lord of the underworld, and one of the most famous Chthonic god (A deity that is inhabiting or ruling the underworld). But after someone dies, getting to the underworld isn’t as easy as some might think. For you have to go through many obstacles to finally reach the realm of the dead. The first task you must complete is the passage across the River Styx. When a person is buried, a golden coin or Drachma is placed with the dead corpse. The dead spirit must use the coin to get across the River Styx. This is to pay for the boat to get across the river. Once across the river, the dead must pass through Cerberus. Cerberus is Hades’s giant guard dog. The dog has three heads, and can sniff out dead or living souls, making it hard to get to the underworld if you are alive. The ancient Greeks also believe that if you were not buried correctly, then you would not be allowed into the underworld until the mistake is corrected.

After getting through to the underworld, you will be judged by the three judges Rhadamanthys, Minos & Aiakos. The judge's jobs are to decide if you were a evil or heroic soul. If you were a brave, heroic soul, and you did good in your life, you would go to the paradise of Elysium. If you were average, and you never did anything amazing in your life, you would most likely go to Asphodel Meadow. If you were evil, or you offended the gods, you would go to Tartarus, where you would be punished for the rest of eternity. Some people who defended the gods, like  Ixion, Sisyphus, and Tantalus, were punished severely in Tartarus. Overall, the Ancient Greeks used the afterlife to sculpt the way they lived in their lifetime.

Greek Sacrificing
The Ancient Greeks believed in many gods, and worshipped them too. The main belief was that sacrificing animals or crops would please the gods. They sacrificed animals to get on the gods “good side”. For example, sailors sacrificed animals to Poseidon to ensure a smooth sail. Farmers sacrificed wheat and plants to Demeter for a bountiful crop of food. The sacrificing ceremonies usually took place at temples or altars at dawn. During this time, prayers are said, and the animals are sacrificed over an open fire. Sacrifices were also made to gods in the land of the dead. They were given black animals and the rituals were done in the evening, instead of at Dawn. None of the animals were eaten when they were sacrificed to the Chthonic gods because it was believed that you could inherit danger The rituals and sacrifices can happen at any time of year, and it didn’t matter how many people participated. These can also be happen at the festivals. When the sacrifices happen during festivals, the entire city or town comes together to sacrifice animals.

Greek Temples, and Shrines
All over Greece, you can find a lot of temples and shrines. One of the most famous temples in Greece is the Parthenos is Athens, or the temple in Olympia. In these temples, there are huge statues of the gods that are worshipped and sacrificed to. The statues were first made of wood, but as time progressed, the wood changed to something more preferred, like stone, or cast bronze. But some statues, like Zeus in Olympia, are made of a mixture of gold and ivory called chryselephantine. Just as statues grew over time, so did the temples. At first, temples did not exist in Greece. The gods were worshipped in more natural places like mountains, forests, or caves. Later on, temples were constructed out of marble, and limestone. As time moved on, the gods were not only worshipped at temples, but in houses as well. Some of the houses were wooden and the houses had statues of certain gods. But temples and houses weren’t the only places to worship and sacrifice gods. Shrines were made for made for people to ask questions about the future to the gods. There, special seers told the people the gods’ responses. But at shrines, gods weren’t the only beings that were praised. There were also shines for heroes or certain deemed men, but they were not as fancy and elaborate as the temples and shrines for the gods. At many cities, shrines were built for heroes and men who had died in the city. It was believed that the men who were buried in a certain city would help the people living in this city.