Ancient Mediterranean Religions II: Greece and Early Italy

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course surveys Greek religion as well as the religions documented in early Italy, drawing on archaeological, iconographic, and textual sources, with a special focus on cultural exchange. Besides surveying different lines of interpretation of Greek religion, main topics include: the interplay between myth and ritual; religion and socio-political structures; the formation of local and pan-Hellenic identities; what we know of private practices and lived religions, including magic and afterlife rituals; mystery cults; and the adaptation and (re)interpreted gods across cultures. In the last weeks we will look at the religion and mythology of early Rome in dialogue with the religions of other groups present in early Italy, such as Greeks, Etruscans, and Phoenicians.