Jupiter's Latour's Return

The ancient Greeks are very religious piety, whether in personal or in public affairs. Religion plays an important role in their political and social life, to be specific, religion is considered as their "science" and "guidelines." So what kind of role dose religion play in ancient Greek society and political cultures? How is it work? This paper employs the story of Peisistratus’ return as an example to demonstrate the specific meanings and the ways of presentation of religious actions. Is this story really a historical event? What reasons contribute to his success? Whether this story is simply a victory parade or is the very propaganda proposed by the tyrant? In order to resolve these problems, this paper applies new research methods and considers ritual as a tool for social and cultural exchanges. After that, this paper proceeds to analyse the function and significance of religion in the field of political culture.The first chapter introduces some basic questions, why Phye could act as Athena? the second chapter focuses on Peisistratus’ identity, why did he do it? Is this story used to prove that he is a God’s favorite hero or just to show to his audience that he is a faithful servant of demos? ChapterⅢanalyzes the political strategies employed by Peisistratus and puts forward the conclusion of this paper.