Ancient Greek Religion: A Sourcebook

Ancient Greek Religion: Historical Sources in Translation presents a wide range of documents relating to the religious world of the ancient Greeks. Drawn from literary texts and inscriptions from the earliest surviving literature of the Archaic Period to the age of Alexander and his successors, the carefully chosen passages shed light on the beliefs, rituals, and hierarchy of deities that formed the religious framework of life in ancient Greece. The extant documents – including many lesser known fragmentary texts – serve to illustrate the importance and diversity of religious ritual, as well as the many ways in which Greeks conceptualized the gods and related stories about them. Further insights are gained through section introductions that set the documents in context, detailed commentary that clarifies and illuminates individual passages, and copious cross–references that reveal the interconnectedness of varied aspects of religious practice and thought. Ancient Greek Religion is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the religious practices of one of the world′s greatest civilizations.

Introduction. Abbreviations. List of illustrations/acknowledgements. 1. Gods and Religion. 2. Mythology. 3. Closeness and Distance. 4. Ritual Contexts. 5. Sanctuaries I. 6. Sanctuaries II. Suggestions for further reading.

Emily Kearns is lecturer in Classical Languages and Literature and a Senior Research Fellow at St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford. She is co–editor with Simon Price of the Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion (2003) and author of The Heroes of Attica (1989).

"To conclude, Kearns′ Ancient Greek Religion: A Sourcebook will be highly valuable both to inexperienced students who can read it thoroughly, and to scholars familiar with the subject, who will consult it in a more selective way, but with equal profit." (Bmcreview, 2 November 2010) "To conclude, Kearns′ Ancient Greek Religion: A Sourcebook will be highly valuable both to inexperienced students who can read it thoroughly, and to scholars familiar with the subject, who will consult it in a more selective way, but with equal profit." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 5 November 2010)