Hiereia

The Pythia, or Oracle of Delphi, the perhaps most known type of Hiereiai, red-figure kylix, 440–430 BC, Kodros Painter, Berlin F 2538, 141668

Hiereia (Ancient Greek: ἱέρεια, pl. ἱέρειαι, hiéreiai) was the title of the female priesthood or priestesses in ancient Greek religion, being the equivalent of the male title hiereus (ἱερεύς). Ancient Greece had a number of different offices in charge of worship of gods and goddesses, and both women and men functioned as priests. While there were local variations depending on cult, the Hiereiai had many similarities across ancient Greece. Normally, their office related only to a specific sanctuary or Greek temple.