Ancient Greek Religion

by Jon D. Mikalson

Ancient Greek Religion provides an introduction to thefundamental beliefs, practices, and major deities of Greekreligion.
Focuses on Athens in the classical period
Includes detailed discussion of Greek gods and heroes, myth andcult, and vivid descriptions of Greek religion as it waspracticed
Ancient texts are presented in boxes to promote thought anddiscussion, and abundant illustrations help readers visualize therich and varied religious life of ancient Greece
Revised edition includes additional boxed texts andbibliography, an 8-page color plate section, a new discussion ofthe nature of Greek "piety," and a new chapter on GreekReligion and Greek Culture

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Classical Studies, Greece, Mythology, Paganism

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Classics and the author of The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year, Athenian Popular Religion, Honor Thy Gods: Popular Religion in Greek Tragedy, Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars, Ancient Greek Religion, Greek Popular Religion in Greek Philosophy, and articles on topics of Greek religion and literature. His research interests are Greek religious beliefs as manifested in literature, history, philosophy, and everyday life.

Reviews

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jon D. Mikalson’s Ancient Greek Religion is an adequate introduction to the subject, but would perhaps be more accurately titled Classical Greek Religion, as this period is the main focus of the book, with a brief look at Hellenistic religion at the end. Also, for those looking primarily for religious practices outside of Athens, it is best to look elsewhere, as this Greek city-state is the central model for this work.

Mikalson is easy to read and to understand as he speaks specifically to an audience unfamiliar with the concepts dealt with. His organization is well-plotted and covers the basics of the sanctuary, the functional quality of polytheism, the mystery cults, and how religion was played out in the spheres of the city-state, the family/village and the individual. Though the book covers nearly all important aspects clearly, it does not do so in depth, yet it will no doubt whet the reader’s appetite and sufficiently prepare them for further study.

[Elze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een dikke pil van een boek die we moesten lezen voor het vak heilige plaatsen in griekenland, maar het was wel een slay

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this book 3.5 stars if available, but upped it to 4 as it's closer to 4 than 3. I introduced it this semester to my Greek Myth and Religion class, replacing Simon Price's RELIGIONS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS, not because Price is bad, but because I liked Mikalson's layout better overall for students.

Advantages: Again, overall layout, giving concrete examples (over theory). The book is also good at explaining Greek overall attitudes, while still delineating the complexity and variety of Greek religions and avoiding overly programmic summaries. That's a fine line to walk, and he does it quite well. I will likely use this book again. It does things many other books don't do (at least not as well as he does). It's also short, so for an accelerated summer course, that's perfect. There's much to like about the book, either for the interested reader, or for a college introductory textbook.

My frustrations: As already observed in other reviews, this book is HIGHLY Athenocentric. Given Mikalson's specialties (Athens), that is perhaps no great surprise. It's also a function of our evidence, which is largely Athenian...but not solely Athenian. And religion is an area where we have a fair bit of archaeological evidence from other poleis. As a textbook on GREEK (not Athenian) religion, I wanted more non-Athenian examples (where is Sparta?!). Reading Mikalson's book, one might subconsciously conclude that Athenian expressions = Greek expressions. Mikalson DOES note the variety, and he does occasionally provide an example from somewhere else (yes, including Sparta)...but (imo) not enough of them. At times, I became frustrated with the over-abundance of Athenian evidence. If/when Mikalson revises his textbook, I'd encourage him to branch out, and not just to mainland Greece, but to the islands and Magna Graecia, especially the Asia Minor coast and Sicily. He might even consider border states, such as Macedon, Thessaly, and Epiros.

Furthermore, I'd like to see more differentiation between city religious expressions and rural/country. Mikalson does some lovely examples from Athenian deme life, but what about other rural expressions? (As, again, the focus is so very *Athenian*.) There are all the obvious difficulties with archaeological evidence for rural space and houses, but advances are being made, viz. Nevett's work, et al.

I also found the occasional mistep/oversight. For instance, in his discussion of daughters under family cult, he talks about the importance of daughters to state cult, and gives examples...but these examples ARE for Athens, whose city deity is a goddess...so of course a number of city cults would involve girls. In a polis whose city deity was male (Poseidon or Zeus or Apollo), we might expect to see a greater participation of boys, which begs the question of the importance of girls to family (or state) cult in such poleis. Yet Mikalson doesn't note this.

Additionally, I'd question the notion that girls were a burden on the family; having too many girls was certainly seen so, but as noted by scholars from Sue Blundell to Nancy Demand, having at least one daughter was seen as beneficial. If, yes, a Greek family could do without a daughter much more easily than doing without a son, that's not really the same thing as viewing her as a burden, dowry or no, as dowries and marriages could cement bonds between families, probably especially in rural settings...which would be the large majority of Greece. Ergo, having a daughter might be a BOON, not a burden.

So while I may be highlighting problems more than strengths, this is meant to be helpful, first, should Mikalson consider a revision, and second, for other professors considering this book as a text. Yes, I had places where I either wanted to expand his examples or offer an (IMO) correction, but that's fairly typical, especially if one focuses on the same field. :-) My "corrections" were more often expansions.

The book is a very good introductory text. As noted, I will probably use it again. It has far more strengths than weaknesses, and I think it very inviting for students, easy to read/understand, and it covers a wide spectrum of religious expression. My biggest complain is just the (over-)abundance of Athenian examples.

One other thing I will say, as I used this book in concert with Emily Kearns's Reader (in Greek Religion) from Blackwell: I felt Kearns's reader got at subtle nuances better, and is a bit more diverse in the primary sources offered as examples. The two books do work well in concert, but I will confess that if I had to choose just one, at this point, I'd preference Kearns, even if it's not a textbook in the usual sense. I mention this mostly for professors who may have to choose only one textbook.

[Mirte Van Kol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morgen tentamen, en vandaag het boek uitgelezen!!

3,5 starss. Was wel chill om te lezen, maar ik ben een uitsteller, dus moest in een x dat halve boek lezen hahah.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely well wrought introduction to Classical Greek Religion. Mikalson does a fantastic job of leading the reader into the practices and contours of Greek religion as it was primarily in the Classical period before Alexander. The reader is engaged in the realia of religious praxis from the beginning of the book and Mikalson is an excellent tourguide through various cults of ancient Greece. A highly recommended first introduction, with plenty of resources for further reading suggested throughout.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a basic introduction to all of the complexities of Greek religion without being either facile or confusing. Mikalson combines the right amount of primary and secondary sources and his writing is engaging and easy to understand. Even my most reluctant students found this book interesting and even amusing (the cult myths) and participated willingly in discussion.

[Dagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable introduction to the world and study of ancient Greek religion! What I love most about Mikalson's work is its accessibility. You don't need to be a learned academic to understand the material, and his delivery isn't so dry as to make the read unbearable.

It's very charming how he tours the reader through the religiocultural center of Classical Athens in the book's introduction. Mikalson has a way of bringing ancient Greek religion into the present, making it seem less remote, which I really appreciate. He truly understands that the ancients were real people with real belief in their gods.

This book is essential reading for students of ancient Greek religion!

[Noells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un saggio accuratissimo sulla religione dell’antica Grecia che mi ha aiutato parecchio a capire la differenza tra la religione mitologica/poetica e quella legata al culto. Oltretutto mi ha aperto gli occhi su quanto era bella questa religione rispetto al cristianesimo. I greci erano veramente affascinati dalla vita piuttosto che della morte... in effetti secondo me questa devozione verso le emozioni umane, tangibile nei culti, contribuirono alle loro innumerevoli innovazioni nel campo delle scienze, la filosofia, la letteratura e altro.

[CuriousDoc25 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very good overall look of the ancient Greek Religion. It acts as a solid foundation from which modern ways of worship can be derived.

[el ✯ ࣪ ˖ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get to the point and stop with the hypothetical examples pls

[Brianne]

Read this for class, so we didn't read every chapter (most, but not all).

It was very interesting to me because it went into the details of what religion was like every day, not just the interesting myths that everyone knows. If you're interested in Ancient Greece, I'd definitely recommend it!

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

tons of good information, but it was so dry at times it took almost 8 months to work through it!