Table Of ContentOXFORD CLASSICAL MONOGRAPHS
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Religion and Society in
Ancient Thessaly
MARIA MILI
1
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Acknowledgements
This book is a heavily reworked version of my D.Phil. thesis completed at
OxfordUniversity.IamgratefultotheSwedishResearchCouncilforaward-
ing me a postdoctoral scholarship, which gave me the initial boost and
necessary sense of security to set out on the venture of rewriting. I am very
thankful to Carole Gillis, Monica Nilsson, Eva Rystedt, and Pirkko Ukkonen
forwelcomingmeatLund,andfortheirhospitality.Ihavevariousacademic
debts I should acknowledge. Irene Lemos has been one of my most inspir-
ationalteachers.SimonPrice’ssuggestionsaboutwhatIcouldchangeandadd
to the thesis resonated with me as I became more and more involved in the
project. Robin Osborne has had a key role. He oversaw this work at its very
beginningandthenatitsveryend,andIamgratefultohimforhisinsightful
suggestions.RobertParker,aboveall,haslivedwiththisbookformanyyears.
Hisstablepresencethroughout,asthethesissupervisorandtheninformallyas
an adviser, was pivotal for me. I am grateful to him for so patiently and
skilfullyallowingmetolearnatmyownpace.Lastbutnotleast,Ifeelavery
deepsenseofgratitudetoChristianeSourvinou-Inwood,whowastheexternal
examiner of the thesis and warmly supported its publication. The impact of
her work will be felt throughout. Her generosity, unconventional character,
and straightforwardness recharged my failing courage even in her absence.
I am also grateful to J.-C. Decourt, Catherine Morgan, and Nassos Papalex-
androuforsendingmearticlesthatIcouldnototherwisegetholdof.
Forthemostpart,however,thisbookwaswrittenathome.Itwasdebated,
analysed, cursed, laughed over, and, alas, forgotten in view of more pressing
matters in Athens’s unruly smoky cafes and desperate streets, over long
conversations with folk in Ireland and America, during drives in the valley
ofKnossos,andatmymum’sfestivetables.MatthewHaysomknowswellthat
without him this book would not have been written. Katerina and Matina
Anastopoulou,RaniaFounta,VanessaFountouli,AlinaHatzispyrou,Monica
Hughes, Eleni Lianta, Vicky Panoutsakopoulou, Eleni Paraschopoulou, Rob
Spittlehouse, Sofia Stavrianopoulou, Hedda von Ehrenheim, Jenny Wallen-
sten,Voula,Nikos,andmum—thankyouforbeingtherewithme.Thisbook
is dedicated to my dad who thought that, since Boukephalas came from
Thessaly,itwasallfairenough.
M.M.
Contents
ListofMaps ix
Abbreviations xi
1. ThreeQuestionsforaRegionalStudyofReligion 1
1.1. RegionalStudiesofReligion:Questions,Structures,andTitles 1
1.2. DefiningtheUnitofAnalysis:PolisReligioninEthne? 6
1.3. DescribingDifference 12
1.4. AssessingtheEvidence 16
1.4.1a. InscribedSculptedDedications 17
1.4.1b. OtherDedications 30
1.4.2. VarietiesofReligiousSpace 37
1.5. AttheLimitsoftheEvidence:TheCaseofHera 46
2. OligarchicConstitutionandReligionintheThessalianPoleis 53
2.1. Religion,OligarchicCitizenshipandtheEthnos 53
2.2. TheGeneandPhratriesversus PhylaiControversy 60
2.3. CitizenshipinThessalianPoleis 69
2.3.1. PoliticalParticipationandCitizenship 69
2.3.2. Politeia,Politeuma,andAstosinThessalianInscriptions 71
2.4. TheSecondSex:WomeninThessalianSocietyandWorldView 79
2.5. ModelsofOligarchicConstitutionandReligioninthe
ThessalianPoleis 85
3. PolisCults 99
3.1. QuestionsandDefinitions 99
3.2. CultsontheAcropolis 102
3.2.1. GuardingtheCity:theCultofAthenaPolias 104
3.2.2. KillingfortheCity?TheProblemofZeusThaulios 111
3.2.3. Acropolis’ViewsoftheCountryside:Dionysus,
Demeter,andHeracles 114
3.3. CultsintheAgora 125
3.3.1. CultsintheAgora(s)ofAtrax:ThemisAgoraia,
AthenaAgoraia,andOthers? 128
3.3.2. Hestia,PrivateClaimsattheCommonHearth 131
3.3.3. WhoseProfit?TheCultofApolloKerdoos 135
3.4. AroundtheWalls 140
3.4.1. TheCultofAsclepius 142
3.4.2. OntheRoad:theCultofEnnodia 147
3.5. Conclusions:PolisCultsofthe‘ThessalianPolis’ 158
viii Contents
4. ThessalythroughtheKaleidoscope 161
4.1. TheThessalianSpace-time 161
4.2. MythicalStructuresofThessalianGeography 165
4.3. HistoricalPerspectives:NewPeople,NewGods,NewCities 197
5. PanthessalianismandReligion 213
5.1. ThessalianUnityand‘EthnosReligion’ 213
5.2. WhoWeretheThessalians? 220
5.3. TheCultofAthenaItoniaandtheProblemofBeginnings 225
5.4. TheCultsofPoseidonPetraiosandZeusPelor(i)os:
DifferentWaysofBeingThessalian 234
5.5. ThessalyandDelphi 241
5.6. CultsoftheThessaliansandTheirSyngeneis 247
5.7. PanthessalianismandReligion:UnderstandingVariety 254
6. TheLandRichinHerbs 259
6.1. WelcometoThessaly:Meadows,Horses,Parties,andHerbs! 259
6.2. ThessalianVisionsoftheUnderworld 268
6.3. Priests,CharlatansandCharismatics 285
6.4. TheEnchantmentofThessaly 295
Epilogue 301
Appendices 303
1. ThessalianInscribedDedications 303
2. Site-summariesofExcavatedThessalianSanctuaries 325
3. CatalogueofSocial/ReligiousGroupsAttestedinthe
EpigraphicRecord 347
Bibliography 353
SubjectIndex 397
SelectIndexofSources 419
List of Maps
Map1. Distributionofinscribeddedications 20
Map2. DistributionoflocatedsanctuariesinThessaly 41
