Author Description
This book presents a range of case-studies of pilgrimage in Graeco-Roman antiquity, drawing on a wide variety of evidence. It rejects the usual reluctance to accept the category of pilgrimage in pagan polytheism and affirms the significance of sacred mobility not only as an important factor in understanding ancient religion and its topographies but also as vitally ancestral to later Christian practice.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the historical validity and cultural significance of pilgrimage within Graeco-Roman polytheism and its subsequent influence on early Christian religious practices. The authors, Ian Rutherford and Jaś Elsner, utilize a multidisciplinary approach to challenge the scholarly skepticism regarding the existence of pilgrimage in pagan antiquity. By synthesizing archaeological evidence, literary sources, and topographical analysis, they argue that sacred mobility was a foundational element of ancient religious life rather than a later innovation.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A series of detailed case studies examining specific pilgrimage sites and routes in the Mediterranean world.
- Analysis of the intersection between religious topography and human movement.
- Comparative frameworks linking pagan ritual travel to early Christian traditions.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the Mediterranean basin and does not cover pilgrimage practices in Eastern traditions or later medieval developments.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of ancient religious mobility, often citing its success in legitimizing the category of pilgrimage for pagan contexts. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the rigorous nature of the evidence presented.
Page Count:
532
Publication Date:
2006-01-01
ISBN-10:
0191514381
ISBN-13:
9780191514388
History
Religion
Christianity
Ancient History
English
Rome
English & College Success
Greece
Archaeology