Imperial cult of ancient Rome cult was the burial and the memorials which any respectable Greek family gave their dead, but paid for by their City in perpetuity. Most heroes were the figures of ancient legend, but some were historical: the Athenians revered Harmodius and Aristogeiton as heroes, as saviours of Athens from tyranny; also, collectively, those who fell at the Battle of Marathon. Statesmen did not generally become heroes, but Sophocles was the hero Dexion ("the Receiver") – not as a playwright, nor a general, but because when the Athenians took Asclepius' cult during the Peloponnesian War, Sophocles housed an image of Asclepius until
Instruction in Ancient Greek Instruction in Ancient Greek Ancient Greek language is still taught in some parts of the world. One of the very few schooling systems where Ancient Greek is still a compulsory subject, is Italy. Ancient Greek is usually treated as a written language in formal instruction. In Italy, Ancient Greek is a compulsory subject only for "liceo classico" schools students. Students of different Italian schools aren't required to study Ancient Greek. Since "liceo classico" students amount to 6.7 percent of Italian high school students, it can be concluded that about 6.7 percent of Italian students actually study Ancient Greek. Inside "liceo