EXC 2060 B3-40 - Localism and Religion in Ancient Greece

Grunddaten zu diesem Projekt

Beschreibung

Ancient Greek religion is characteristic of a hybrid blending of bounded and connected practices. Localism and Religion in Ancient Greece (B3-40) probes this blend by measuring the gravitational pull of local religious systems and their interplay with regional as well as universal contexts. New interest in localism and the local, spurred by debates about cultural connectivity and convergence, provides new insight into the lived experience in ancient Greece. At the same time, there has been an upsurge of scholarly interest in diversifying the notion of Greek religion, between its dichotomous expressions in local and global/universal spheres. LoRAG positions itself at the frontier of both debates: (1) the conceptual study of localism; and (2) the impact the local wields over religious conduct. The overall goal is to advance the understanding of ancient Greek religion by finding a space for divergence, idiosyncrasy, and plurality. In its first cycle of investigation, LoRAG explores the local dimension of religious interactions in the Saronic Gulf, a region that presents ideal conditions for the study of the complex mosaic of Greek religion. The Saronic comprises a plethora of cities that were stitched into a connected maritime world of sea shores, islands, and promontories. Human agency in the region was segregated, connected, and entangled at once and on multiple levels - and it played out in a complicated matrix of seasonal time. The Saronic’s central location, at the crossroads of many networks, each one with shifting nodes of influences over time, further invites creative applications of scale. The time line under investigation, c. 800 to c. 300 BCE, is defined by the rise of the Greek city-state and the formation of profound challenges to its way of life.