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."

"...this is an important work on an important topic."

"The articles are well researched and provide a wealth of information about particular sites. The publication by Oxford is impeccable."

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