The role religion plays in world history is, at best, tremendous. Through the ages, religion has both unified and divided civilizations often bringing extreme human casualty, in the case of division, or creating interesting new cultures, in the case of the latter. In Ancient civilizations such as the Greek, religion serves as a catalyst further strengthening the bond found in such homogeneous societies. In these civilizations it is important to note that the inhabitants did not conceive religion in terms of a belief system in a higher moral authority, rather, the belief system was such a part of their lifestyle that there was no differentiation. In discussing ancient civilizations such as the Greek Empire, it is also important to understand that nonconformity was not even a mode of thinking, therefore, there was no room for religious disunity. In homogeneous societies, religion serves to further bridge the culture together. This is not the case in other later civilizations. .
The ancient Greeks held close to a common polytheistic belief system and operated the government, domestic lifestyle, and recreation from this system. The evidence is abounds in that the Olympic games were held at the feast of Zeus at Olympia in Elis, and the Pythian games were held at Delphi, in honor of Apollo. Also in the epic poem, Iliad of Homer, one is able to compare the Greek religion to that of Christianity. Some of the existing main features of both are the belief in a God or Gods, prayer, and funeral rites. However, despite these similarities, each feature is observed differently by the two religions. The Greeks in the Iliad believe in many Gods. Each God has a specific "power" or "gift". Zeus is the supreme God of their religion and is also the King of Olympus. He is known as the God of clouds and the sky. Other Gods include Aphrodite the Goddess of love, Athena the Goddess of wisdom, and Apollo the God of prophecy, light, poetry, and music.
