Civic cults in Classical Athens

J. Z. Rookhuijzen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Many Classical Greek cities had civic cults; those of Athens are the best known to us. This chapter discusses how, in Athens, the city was itself the object of religious practice and that urban religion here was a marker of civic identity that enshrined the city's well-being, its protection from calamities, and its victory in armed conflict. To this end, the cult recipients (gods and heroes), locations, and traditions are discussed and placed in the urban landscape. Particular attention is paid to the Acropolis, which, unlike the main sanctuaries of some other Greek cities, was situated in Athens’ urban heart and was the destination of the procession of the Panathenaia festival in honor of Athena, the great city protectress.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationA Companion to Cities in the Greco-Roman World
PublisherWiley-Blackwell
Chapter22
Pages377-394
Number of pages18
ISBN (Electronic)9781119399940
ISBN (Print)9781119399834
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Aug 2024
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial intelligence technologies or similar technologies.

Keywords

  • Acropolis
  • Ancient Greek religion
  • Athena
  • Athens
  • Civic cults
  • Hero worship
  • Mythology
  • Panathenaia
  • Sanctuaries

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