The first part of the semester is dedicated to the Greek world and includes the discussion of Greek ritual space behavior, the relationship between myth and cult, the nature of deities (gods and heroes) as well as the role of religion within the community, the family and the individual life. Specific case studies investigated and presented by the students are: the cult of Apollo at Delphi, the cult of Athena at Athens, the cult of Zeus at Olympia, the cult of Demeter at Eleusis, the cult of Dionysos and the origins of theatre, the cult of Asklepios and the birth of medicine and the Orphic-Pythagorean religion.
The second part of the semester will investigate the Roman world and in addition to a comparison/contrast approach with its counterpart to better understand the peculiarities of both religious phenomenons, we'll cover aspects connected to the Roman ritual, the organization of religious time (calendar) and the role of priests and priestesses in Roman society and politics. For this section, selected topics include the cult of the Capitoline Triad, the cult of Vesta and the Vestal Virgins, the cult of Saturn and Saturnalia, the cult of the Magna Mater, the cult of the Egyptian goddess Isis, the cult of the Persian god Mithras.
At the end of the class, we will also introduce the rise of Christianity and its role in bringing to an end the polytheistic religion the ancient world had been familiar with for thousand years.