The Oracles of Apollo in Asia Minor (Routledge Revivals)
The Oracles of Apollo in Asia Minor (Routledge Revivals)

Author: H. W. Parke

Publisher:

Published: 2015-04-07

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781138015678

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Delphi, although by far the most prestigious, was not the only oracular site dedicated to the god of prophecy. The Oracles of Apollo in Asia Minor, first published in 1985, presents the first unified account of these lesser-known religious establishments: at Didyma, Claros, Gryneion and Patara. Many Greek communities in Asia Minor turned to Apollo for advice on conduct in their affairs, and it is at the oracles that we can discern the most explicit interaction between normal people and their traditional religion. Oracular interventions in history are examined, as is the organisation of the shrines themselves, and the methods of consultation in the mysterious darkened passages of Didyma or on the bright headland of Claros. The Oracles of Apollo in Asia Minor is accessibly written, does not require a prior familiarity with Classical Greek, and will be of value to students of ancient religion, Greek culture and archaeology.

The Decadence of Delphi
The Decadence of Delphi

Author: Kristin M. Heineman

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-09-22

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1317036271

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Examining the final years of Delphic consultation, this monograph argues that the sanctuary operated on two connected, yet distinct levels: the oracle, which was in decline, and the remaining religious, political and social elements at the site which continued to thrive. In contrast to Delphi, other oracular counterparts in Asia Minor, such as Claros and Didyma, rose in prestige as they engaged with new "theological" issues. Issues such as these were not presented to Apollo at Delphi and this lack of expertise could help to explain why Delphi began to decline in importance. The second and third centuries AD witnessed the development of new ways of access to divine wisdom. Particularly widespread were the practices of astrology and the Neoplatonic divinatory system, theurgy. This monograph examines the correlation between the rise of such practices and the decline of oracular consultation at Delphi, analyzing several examples from the Chaldean Oracles to demonstrate the new interest in a personal, soteriological religion. These cases reveal the transfer of Delphi’s sacred space, which further impacted the status of the oracle. Delphi’s interaction with Christianity in the final years of oracular operation is also discussed. Oracular utterances with Christian overtones are examined along with archaeological remains which demonstrate a shift in the use of space at Delphi from a "pagan" Panhellenic center to one in which Christianity is accepted and promoted.

North Coast of the Black Sea, Asia Minor
North Coast of the Black Sea, Asia Minor

Author: Philip A. Harland

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2014-09-12

Total Pages: 612

ISBN-13: 3110382512

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Private associations organized around a common cult, profession, ethnic identity, neighbourhood or family were common throughout the Greco-Roman antiquity, offering opportunities for sociability, cultic activities, mutual support and a context in which to display and recognize virtuous achievement. This second volume collects a representative selection of inscriptions from associations based on the North Coast of the Black Sea and in Asia Minor, published with English translations, brief explanatory notes, commentaries and full indices. This volume is essential for several areas of study: ancient patterns of social organization; the organization of diasporic communities in the ancient Mediterranean; models for the structure of early Christian groups; and forms of sociability, status-displays, and the vocabularies of virtue.

Greek Religion: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide
Greek Religion: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide

Author: Oxford University Press

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2010-05-01

Total Pages: 73

ISBN-13: 0199803145

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This ebook is a selective guide designed to help scholars and students of the ancient world find reliable sources of information by directing them to the best available scholarly materials in whatever form or format they appear from books, chapters, and journal articles to online archives, electronic data sets, and blogs. Written by a leading international authority on the subject, the ebook provides bibliographic information supported by direct recommendations about which sources to consult and editorial commentary to make it clear how the cited sources are interrelated. A reader will discover, for instance, the most reliable introductions and overviews to the topic, and the most important publications on various areas of scholarly interest within this topic. In classics, as in other disciplines, researchers at all levels are drowning in potentially useful scholarly information, and this guide has been created as a tool for cutting through that material to find the exact source you need. This ebook is just one of many articles from Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics, a continuously updated and growing online resource designed to provide authoritative guidance through the scholarship and other materials relevant to the study of classics. Oxford Bibliographies Online covers most subject disciplines within the social science and humanities, for more information visit www.aboutobo.com.

The Seer in Ancient Greece
The Seer in Ancient Greece

Author: Michael Flower

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 0520259939

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"Surveying all kinds of evidence—historiographical, literary, dramatic, and visual—Flower provides a comprehensive, readable, and engaging account of the operations of 'seers' during the Classical period."—Mark Griffith, editor of Prometheus Bound and Antigone "In a page-turning tour de force of anthropological reconstruction, classicist Michael Flower revisits hundreds of ancient texts to tease out his case for the absolutely central role of seercraft at all levels of ancient Greek society. Thanks to Flower's invitingly-woven tapestry of their mesmerizing stories and anecdotes, we can now savor, and comprehend through his lucid and persuasive interpretations."—Peter Nabokov, author of Where the Lightning Strikes: American Indian Ways of History

The Ancient Oracles
The Ancient Oracles

Author: Richard Stoneman

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780300140422

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For more than a thousand years, Greeks from all walks of life consulted oracles for guidance received directly from the gods. This colorful and wide-ranging survey encompasses the entire history of Greek oracles and focuses fresh attention on philosophical, psychological, and anthropological aspects of oracular consultation. It also examines how Greek oracles' practices were distinctive compared to those of their neighbors, especially in Egypt, Babylon, and Israel. Richard Stoneman weaves a fascinating historical tapestry, taking into account the different kinds of oracles (healers, advisors, prophets, and others), their most important sanctuaries, debates about them among ancient thinkers, and Christian attacks on them. Delving into the reasons behind the oracles' enduring position at the heart of Greek culture, Stoneman offers fresh insights into pagan religious practice and the history of Greek intellectual and spiritual life.

Prophets, Prophecy, and Oracles in the Roman Empire
Prophets, Prophecy, and Oracles in the Roman Empire

Author: Leslie Kelly

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-12-06

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13: 1351243519

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This book surveys the uses and function of prophecy, prophets, and oracles among Jews, Christians, and pagans in the first three centuries of the Roman Empire and explores how prophecy and prophetic texts functioned as a common language that enabled religious discourse to develop between these groups. It shows that each of these cultures believed that it was in prophetic texts and prophetic utterances that they could find the surest proof of their religious beliefs and a strong confirmation of their group identity.

The Cosmos in Ancient Greek Religious Experience
The Cosmos in Ancient Greek Religious Experience

Author: Efrosyni Boutsikas

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-10-29

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 110848817X

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Reconstructs ancient rituals in their day/night/season combining them with relevant mythology and astronomical observations to understand the ritual's cosmological links.

Omens and Oracles
Omens and Oracles

Author: Matthew Dillon

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-14

Total Pages: 569

ISBN-13: 1317148959

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Addressing the role which divination played in ancient Greek society, this volume deals with various forms of prophecy and how each was utilised and for what purpose. Chapters bring together key types of divining, such as from birds, celestial phenomena, the entrails of sacrificed animals and dreams. Oracular centres delivered prophetic pronouncements to enquirers, but in addition, there were written collections of oracles in circulation. Many books were available on how to interpret dreams, the birds and entrails, and divination as a religious phenomenon attracted the attention of many writers. Expert diviners were at the heart of Greek prophecy, whether these were Apollo’s priestesses delivering prose or verse answers to questions put to them by consultants, diviners known as manteis, who interpreted entrails and omens, the chresmologoi, who sang the many oracles circulating orally or in writing, or dream interpreters. Divination was utilised not only to foretell the future but also to ensure that the individual or state employing divination acted in accordance with that divinely prescribed future; it was employed by all and had a crucial role to play in what courses of action both states and individuals undertook. Specific attention is paid in this volume not only to the ancient written evidence, but to that of inscriptions and papyri, with emphasis placed on the iconography of Greek divination.