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Harvard University Press Reference Library
Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide
Religious beliefs and practices, which permeated all aspects of life in antiquity, traveled well-worn routes throughout the Mediterranean: itinerant charismatic practitioners journeying from place to place peddled their skills as healers, purifiers, cursers, and initiators; and vessels decorated with illustrations of myths traveled with them. New gods encountered in foreign lands by merchants and conquerors were sometimes taken home to be adapted and adopted. A full understanding of this complex spiritual world unfolds in Religions of the Ancient World, the first basic reference work that collects and organizes available information to offer an expansive, comparative perspective.
At once sweeping in scope and groundbreaking in format, the Guide eschews the usual encyclopedic approach, instead presenting, side by side, materials from ten cultures and traditions. Thus specific beliefs, cults, gods, and ritual practices that arose and developed in Mediterranean religions--of Egypt, Anatolia and the Near East, Mesopotamia, Iran, Greece, and the Roman world, from the third millennium to the fourth century C.E.--are interpreted in comparison with one another, and with reference to aspects that crisscross cultural boundaries, such as Cosmology, Myth, Law and Ethics, and Magic. Written by leading scholars of ancient religion, the essays in this guide sketch the various religious histories, raise central theoretical issues, and examine individual topics such as Sacred Times and Spaces; Prayers, Hymns, Incantations, and Curses; Sin, Pollution, and Purity; Death, the Afterlife, and Other Last Things; Divination and Prophecy; Deities and Demons; and Sacred Texts and Canonicity.
Clearly and stylishly written, grandly illustrated, this comprehensive work welcomes readers as never before into the diversity and interconnections of religion in the ancient world.
At once sweeping in scope and groundbreaking in format, the Guide eschews the usual encyclopedic approach, instead presenting, side by side, materials from ten cultures and traditions. Thus specific beliefs, cults, gods, and ritual practices that arose and developed in Mediterranean religions--of Egypt, Anatolia and the Near East, Mesopotamia, Iran, Greece, and the Roman world, from the third millennium to the fourth century C.E.--are interpreted in comparison with one another, and with reference to aspects that crisscross cultural boundaries, such as Cosmology, Myth, Law and Ethics, and Magic. Written by leading scholars of ancient religion, the essays in this guide sketch the various religious histories, raise central theoretical issues, and examine individual topics such as Sacred Times and Spaces; Prayers, Hymns, Incantations, and Curses; Sin, Pollution, and Purity; Death, the Afterlife, and Other Last Things; Divination and Prophecy; Deities and Demons; and Sacred Texts and Canonicity.
Clearly and stylishly written, grandly illustrated, this comprehensive work welcomes readers as never before into the diversity and interconnections of religion in the ancient world.
736 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 2004
About the author
Sarah Iles Johnston
20 books38 followersSarah Iles Johnston is the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Religion and Professor of Classics and Comparative Studies at The Ohio State University.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 27, 2025
Zou willen dat ik 'm had en er meer van kon lezen, maar echt mega interessant.
April 29, 2020
Although I may have organized the material differently, the vast collection of information is impressive.
December 3, 2023
The title is somewhat misleading; this book only covers the religions of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East. The major cultures that it includes are Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria and Canaan, Israel, Iran, the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, Greece, Etruria, Rome, and early Christianity, although the evidence is so sparse for some of those cultures that they aren't covered in every thematic section.
The rationale for the geographic limitations is that there wasn't much exchange of religious ideas between the Mediterranean and South and East Asia, let alone between the Mediterranean and places outside Eurasia. In contrast, the Mediterranean and Middle East exchanged ideas constantly. I do wish the book had sections on Nubia (Meroe) and the non-literate cultures of Europe; as it is, the former are barely mentioned in some sections on Egypt, and the latter are only covered when the sections on Rome discuss how the Romans incorporated those religions into their empire. I know the evidence for those religions is sparse, but I doubt it can be that much worse than the state of evidence for the Etruscans or Minoans, both of whom are covered.
If you accept those limitations, the book is an amazing resource, surveying many aspects of each religion: sacred times and places; religious personnel; religious organizations; sacrifice and offerings; prayers, hymns, incantations, and curses; divination and prophecy; deities and demons; religious practices of individuals and families; rites of passage; illness and crises; death and the afterlife; sin, pollution, and purity; ethics and laws; theology and philosophy; religion and politics; efforts to control religion; mythology; religious art; sacred texts; and esotericism and mysticism. The writers are all experts, and fortunately they aren't terribly prone to scholarly jargon. The final section also looks at some of the more prominent esoteric religions of the late Roman period, like Hermeticism and Gnosticism, which are often misunderstood and misrepresented.
The rationale for the geographic limitations is that there wasn't much exchange of religious ideas between the Mediterranean and South and East Asia, let alone between the Mediterranean and places outside Eurasia. In contrast, the Mediterranean and Middle East exchanged ideas constantly. I do wish the book had sections on Nubia (Meroe) and the non-literate cultures of Europe; as it is, the former are barely mentioned in some sections on Egypt, and the latter are only covered when the sections on Rome discuss how the Romans incorporated those religions into their empire. I know the evidence for those religions is sparse, but I doubt it can be that much worse than the state of evidence for the Etruscans or Minoans, both of whom are covered.
If you accept those limitations, the book is an amazing resource, surveying many aspects of each religion: sacred times and places; religious personnel; religious organizations; sacrifice and offerings; prayers, hymns, incantations, and curses; divination and prophecy; deities and demons; religious practices of individuals and families; rites of passage; illness and crises; death and the afterlife; sin, pollution, and purity; ethics and laws; theology and philosophy; religion and politics; efforts to control religion; mythology; religious art; sacred texts; and esotericism and mysticism. The writers are all experts, and fortunately they aren't terribly prone to scholarly jargon. The final section also looks at some of the more prominent esoteric religions of the late Roman period, like Hermeticism and Gnosticism, which are often misunderstood and misrepresented.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews