Provides a comprehensive overview of ancient Greek religion, from the Archaic to the Hellenistic periods
Includes illustrative case studies which demonstrate the variety of religious structures across time and place
Presents a wide range of approaches and methodologies from a distinguished international group of contributors

This handbook offers both students and teachers of ancient Greek religion a comprehensive overview of the current state of scholarship in the subject, from the Archaic to the Hellenistic periods. It not only presents key information, but also explores the ways in which such information is gathered and the different approaches that have shaped the area. In doing so, the volume provides a crucial research and orientation tool for students of the ancient world, and also makes a vital contribution to the key debates surrounding the conceptualization of ancient Greek religion.

The handbook`s initial chapters lay out the key dimensions of ancient Greek religion, approaches to evidence, and the representations of myths. The following chapters discuss the continuities and differences between religious practices in different cultures, including Egypt, the Near East, the Black Sea, and Bactria and India. The range of contributions emphasizes the diversity of relationships between mortals and the supernatural - in all their manifestations, across, between, and beyond ancient Greek cultures - and draws attention to religious activities as dynamic, highlighting how they changed over time, place, and context.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Abbreviations and Conventions
List of Contributors
Introduction, Esther Eidinow and Julia Kindt
Part 1: What is Ancient Greek Religion?
1: Unity vs. Diversity?, Robin Osborne
2: Belief vs. Practice?, Tom Harrison
3: Old vs. New?, Emily Kearns
4: Many vs. One?, Vinciane Pirenne Delforge and Gabriella Pironti
Part 2: Types of Evidence
5: Visual Evidence, Milette Gaifman
6: Literary Evidence: Prose, Hannah Willey
7: Literary Evidence: Poetry, Renaud Gagne
8: Epigraphic Evidence, Claire Taylor
9: Material Evidence, Caitlin E. Barrett
10: Papyrology, David Martinez
Part 3: Myths? Contexts and Representations
11: Epic, Richard Martin
12: Art and Imagery, Tanja Scheer
13: Drama, Claude Calame
14: History, Robert Fowler
15: Philosophy, Rick Benitez and Harold Tarrant
Part 4: Where?
16: Temples and Sanctuaries, Mike Scott
17: Households, Families, and Women, Matt Dillon
18: Religion in Communities, Kostas Vlassopoulos
19: Regional Religious Groups, Amphictionies, and Other Leagues, Christy Constantakopoulou
Part 5: How?
20: Religious Expertise, Mike Flower
21: New Gods, Ralph Anderson
22: Impiety, Hugh Bowden
23: `Sacred Law`, Andrej Petrovic
Part 6: Who?
24: Gods: Olympian or Chthonic, Susan Deacy
25: Gods: Origins, Carolina López-Ruiz
26: Heroes: Living or Dead?, Gunnel Ekroth
27: Dead or Alive?, Emanuel Voutiras
28: Daimonic Power, Giulia Sfameni Gasparro
29: Deification: Gods or Men?, Ivana Petrovic
Part 7: What?
30: Prayer and Curse, Henk Versnel
31: Sacrifice, Fred Naiden
32: Oracles and Divination, Sarah Iles Johnston
33: Epiphany, Verity Platt
34: Healing, Fritz Graf
Part 8: When?
35: From Birth to Death: Life-changing Rituals, Sarah Hitch
36: Ritual Cycles: Calendars and Festivals, Jan-Matheiu Carbon
37: Imagining the After-Life, Radcliffe Edmonds III
Part 9: Beyond?
38: Magna Graecia (South Italy and Sicily), Gillian Shepherd
39: The Northern Black Sea: The Case of the Bosporan Kingdom, Maya Muratov
40: The Ancient Near East, Jan Bremmer
41: Greco-Egyptian Religion, Kathrin Kleibl
42: Bactria and India, Rachael Mairs
43: China and Greece: Comparisons and Insights, Lisa Raphals
Index

Author Information

Edited by Esther Eidinow, Associate Professor in Ancient Greek History, The University of Nottingham, and Julia Kindt, Associate Professor, The University of Sydney

Esther Eidinow is Associate Professor in Ancient Greek History at the University of Nottingham.

Julia Kindt is Associate Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney.

Contributors:
Esther Eidinow and Julia Kindt
Robin Osborne
Tom Harrison
Emily Kearns
Vinciane Pirenne Delforge and Gabriella Pironti
Milette Gaifman
Hannah Willey
Renaud Gagne
Claire Taylor
Caitlin E. Barrett
David Martinez
Richard Martin
Tanja Scheer
Claude Calame
Robert Fowler
Rick Benitez and Harold Tarrant
Mike Scott
Matt Dillon
Kostas Vlassopoulos
Christy Constantakopoulou
Mike Flower
Ralph Anderson
Hugh Bowden
Andrej Petrovic
Susan Deacy
Carolina López-Ruiz
Gunnel Ekroth
Emanuel Voutiras
Giulia Sfameni Gasparro
Ivana Petrovic
Henk Versnel
Fred Naiden
Sarah Iles Johnston
Verity Platt
Fritz Graf
Sarah Hitch
Jan-Matheiu Carbon
Radcliffe Edmonds III
Gillian Shepherd
Maya Muratov
Jan Bremmer
Kathrin Kleibl
Rachael Mairs
Lisa Raphals