010050 VO Religions of Greek and Roman Antiquity (2020W)

Aim:
The aim is to introduce students to the academic study of ancient religions and to the main religious beliefs and practices of the Greek and Roman world.
Students will:
• acquire knowledge of what constitutes ‘religion’ as a category and within Ancient Greek and Roman cultures, as well as the various approaches to the academic study of religion in antiquity;
• acquire knowledge of the different myths, beliefs, and ritual practices of and within the Graeco-Roman world; will identify the different and complex nature of the ancient polytheistic religions of the Graeco-Roman era; will be able to compare these vivid ancient religious traditions to the modern conceptions of religion within the academic study of religion.
Description:
A survey of the religious beliefs, myths, and rituals/practices in the Graeco-Roman world, from the Archaic period to the coming of Christianity. More importantly, the course will also examine whether ‘religion’ in the Graeco-Roman world can be understood in the same manner as modern people conceive ‘religion,’ thus offering an intense comparative aspect to the study of mediterranean antiquity. Given that the term ‘religion’ stems from the Latin language, the course will also focus on the problem of classification and definition in the academic study of religion and whether and how modern people can talk about Greek and Roman religiosity (or religiosities) by overcoming the obvious anachronisms at work.
Method:
Lectures with visual and textual material in translation.