Greek Gods Abroad

Robert Parker

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9780520293946
• eBook ISBN: 9780520967250
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Greek Ancient History
• Index: History

From even before the time of Alexander the Great, the Greek gods spread throughout the Mediterranean, carried by settlers and largely adopted by the indigenous populations. By the third century b.c., gods bearing Greek names were worshipped everywhere from Spain to Afghanistan, with the resulting religious systems a variable blend of Greek and indigenous elements. Greek Gods Abroad examines the interaction between Greek religion and the cultures of the eastern Mediterranean with which it came into contact. Robert Parker shows how Greek conventions for naming gods were extended and adapted and provides bold new insights into religious and psychological values across the Mediterranean. The result is a rich portrait of ancient polytheism as it was practiced over 600 years of history.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Greek Gods Abroad
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• Preface
• 1. Names and Epithets
• 2. Interpretatio
• 3. Gods of Many Nations and Their Naming in Greek: Non-Greek Naming Traditions
• 4. Supreme, Ancestral, and Personal Gods
• 5. Ad Maiorem Deorum Gloriam: The Growth of Praise Epithets
• 6. Delos: Where God Meets God
• Conclusion
• Appendix A. Postclassical Use of the Epithet Oὐράνιος
• Appendix B. Translated Theophoric Names
• Appendix C. Interpretatio in India
• Appendix D. Some Non-Greek Theonyms in Anatolia
• Appendix E. Thasian Herakles
• Appendix F. Some Epithets in Bilingual Texts
• Appendix G. Divine and Human Names Juxtaposed
• Appendix H. Exported Gods: The Cults of Hellenistic Colonies
• Bibliography
• Index