Placing the Gods Sanctuaries and Sacred Space in Ancient Greece [Paperback]

Cult activity played an extremely important role in ancient Greece--to the point, historians believe, that the placing of cult centers played a major part in establishing the whole concept of the city-state in archaic Greece. The essays in this collection critically examine the social and political importance of sanctuary placement, extending the analysis back to Mycenean Greece and on to Greece under Roman occupation. Revealing the complexity of relations between religion and politics in ancient Greece, these essays show how important tradition, gender relations, and cult identity were in creating and maintaining the religious mapping of the ancient Greek countryside.

Interesting and provocative. --Religious Studies Review

[A] meticulously edited and usefully illustrated volume. --Bryn Mawr Classical Review

...this is an important work on an important topic. --History

The articles are well researched and provide a wealth of information about particular sites. The publication by Oxford is impeccable. --Revue Des Archeologues & Historiens D'Art De Louvain

Susan E. Alcockis Assistant Professor of Archaeology at the University of Michigan.Robin Osborneis University Lecturer in Ancient History, and Fellow and Tutor at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Dr. Osborne also editedRitual, Finance, Politics: Athenian Democratic Accounts Presented to DavidLewis(OUP, 1995) with Simon Hornblower.