Conference "Purity and Authority in Ancient Mediterranean Religions"

Basic data for this project

Description

Notions of purity and impurity pervaded the religious traditions of antiquity. They regulated the physical presence of individuals and objects in sacred areas, but could also have repercussions for daily life (e.g., regulations on food or clothing). Due to their potential to include or exclude persons from certain social contexts, purity regulations also played an important role in the formation of communal identities. So intertwined with their religious significance, notions of purity necessarily had a political dimension, and it is worth asking how this potential was realized by communities and their leaders throughout antiquity.