Gods of worshipThe first beliefs are at the origin of today's standard of living. The beliefs of the past have adapted and evolved. Early concepts of religion exhibit some of the fundamental traits that are included in religions even today. The most surprising fact is that many ancient cultures had no way of communicating with each other, but they nevertheless had many of the same beliefs and concepts. The early Aztecs and early Greeks are prime examples of these early cultures. Of course, this leaves many questions unanswered. What were the religious views of the early Greeks? What were the first concepts of the early Aztecs? How are these cultures the same? The early Greeks appear to be very intelligent. The Greeks had a system of gods. They had 12 fundamental gods, often called the Olympians, called Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hestia, Hermes, Demeter and Poseidon. Zeus was the leader of the gods. He was the spiritual father of gods and men. His wife, Hera, was the Queen of Heaven and the guardian of marriage. Other gods associated with the sky were Hephaestus, god of fire and metalworkers; Athena, goddess of wisdom and war; and Apollo, god of light, music and poetry. Artemis was the goddess of wildlife and the moon; Ares, god of war; and Aphrodite, the goddess of love, were the other sky gods. These gods were joined by Hestia, goddess of the earth; and Hermes, messenger of the gods and ruler of science and invention. Poseidon was the god of the sea and he led a group of minor sea gods. Finally, Demeter was the goddess of agriculture. The Greeks had many other minor gods to accompany the 12 major gods. Their conception of the gods is very complex. They believed that their gods were immortal and controlled all aspects of nature. The Greeks recognized that their well-being rested on the will of the gods. The gods severely punished mortals who behaved unacceptablely. However, the general relations between men and the gods were friendly. Each Greek city was dedicated to one or more gods. Often the citizens of these cities would build temples of worship for their god(s). Children would learn about the gods in their home and lead worship there. However, different parts of the house were set aside for prayer to different gods. Greek civilization had a god for almost everything physical and emotional..