Ancient Greek Religion » (2nd Edition)

Jon D. Mikalson is William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Classics at the University of Virginia. In 1968-1969 he was a Fellow and in 1994-1995 a Whitehead Professor at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece. His books include Athenian Popular Religion (1983), Honor Thy Gods: Popular Religion in Greek Tragedy (1991), Religion in Hellenistic Athens (1998), and Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars (2002).

Ancient Greek Religion provides an introduction to the fundamental beliefs, practices, and major deities of Greek religion. While the focus is on Athens in the Classical Period, the book includes detailed discussion of Greek gods and heroes, myth and cult from the archaic age to the Hellenistic world.

The book clearly sets out the fascinating but alien concepts of Greek polytheism, building up a picture of Greek religion as it was actually practiced. It emphasizes the experience of worshippers, considering Greek religious practice from a variety of perspectives – from the slave and members of the family, to priests and public officials. It examines views of the gods and the afterlife, the relationship between cult and myth, the nature of piety and impiety, and the wider social and political context in which religion functioned.

New to the revised edition are additional feature boxes and bibliography, a new discussion of the nature of Greek piety, and a new chapter on Greek Religion and Greek Culture. Throughout the book, vivid descriptions of actual sanctuaries and practices, the inclusion of ancient texts in translation, and the use of abundant illustrations re-create the rich and varied religious life of ancient Greece.

List of color plates vii

List of figures ix

List of maps xiii

Preface xv

Abbreviations xix

I An Overview: Greek Sanctuaries and Worship 1

II Greek Gods, Heroes, and Polytheism 31

III Seven Greek Cult Myths 53

IV Five Major Greek Cults 67

V Religion in the Greek Family and Village 123

VI Religion of the Greek City-State 149

VII Greek Religion and the Individual 169

VIII Greek Religion in the Hellenistic Period 185

IX Greek Religion and Greek Culture 205

Glossary of recurring Greek terms 227

Index 231