Published by the Swedish Institute at Athens. Distributed by Astrom Editions.

Greek sacrificial ritual, Olympian and Chthonian. Proceedings of the Sixth International Seminar on Ancient Greek Cult, organized by the Department of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Göteborg University, 25–27 April 1997

Edited by Robin Hägg & Brita Alroth

A collection of eighteen papers, read or circulated at an international seminar in Göteborg, that deal with the ancient Greek sacrificial ritual, with special reference to the traditional dichotomy between the Olympian and the chthonian aspect, the relevance of which has been questioned in modern research. Among the special topics discussed are sacrifices to heroes and in the cult of the dead, magical sacrifice, sacrifice to the sea, pig sacrifice and the sacrifice of pregnant animals. Other aspects dealt with include the role of dedications in the cult and the practicalities of ruler-cult, as well as the priest’s role in Greek sacrifice. Several contributions discuss the implications of the recently published lex sacra from Selinous for the understanding of Greek sacrificial practice, reinterpreting previously known inscriptions in the light of the new evidence. Two papers deal with descriptions of sacrifice in Greek tragedy (Aeschylus, Oresteia; Sophocles, Trachiniae). There is a bibliographical survey of faunal remains from Greek sanctuaries and a special study comparing the animal bones from sacrifices to the god Poseidon and those from sacrifices to the hero Melikertes-Palaimon at Istmia.

Contents

Preface (p. 7)
Bernard C. Dietrich (†), Some thoughts on sacrificial ritual and meaning (abstract) (pp. 9–10)
Christoph Auffarth, How to sacrifice correctly—without a manual (pp. 11–21)
Scott Scullion, ‘Saviours of the father’s hearth’. Olympian and chthonian in the Oresteia (pp. 23–36)
Robert Parker, ὡς ἥρωι ἐναγίζειν (pp. 37–45)
Albert Heinrichs, ‘Sacrifice as to the immortals’. Ritual distinctions in the lex sacra from Selinous and other inscriptions (pp. 47–60)
Birgitta Bergquist (†), A re-study of two Thasian instances of ἐνατεύειν (pp. 61–70)
Fritz Graf, Magical sacrifice (abstract) (pp. 71–73)
Dennis D. Hughes, Sacrifice and the cult of the dead in ancient Argos (pp. 75–83)
Noel Robertson, Sacrifice to the sea: a custom prior to the “Olympian” and “chthonian” categories? (pp. 85–98)
Carla M. Antonaccio, Dedications and the character of cult (pp. 99–112)
Charlotte Wikander, The practicalities of ruler cult (pp. 113–120)
David S. Reese, Faunal remains from Greek sanctuaries: a survey (abstract) (pp. 121–123)
Elizabeth R. Gebhard & David S. Reese, Sacrifices for Poseidon and Melikertes-Palaimon at Isthmia (pp. 125–154)
Jan N. Bremmer, The sacrifice of pregnant animals (pp. 155–165)
Kevin Clinton, Pigs in Greek rituals (pp. 167–179)
Claude Calame, Heracles, animal and sacrificial victim in Sophocles’ Trachiniae? (pp. 181–195)
Folkert van Straten, The priest’s role in Greek sacrifice: iconographical considerations (abstract) (pp. 197–199)
Nanno Marinatos, Symbolic forms of sacrificial imagery in the Eastern Mediterranean (pp. 201–208)
Final discussion (pp. 209–210)
Programme and participants of the Seminar (pp. 211–212)
Abbreviations (p. 213)
Indexes (pp. 215–230)

Bibliographical information

Robin Hägg & Brita Alroth, eds., Greek sacrificial ritual, Olympian and Chthonian. Proceedings of the Sixth International Seminar on Ancient Greek Cult, organized by the Department of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Göteborg University, 25–27 April 1997 (Skrifter utgivna av Svenska Institutet i Athen, 8°, 18), Stockholm 2005. ISSN 0081-9921. ISBN 978-91-7916-049-4. 230 pages: softcover.

Reviews

The Journal of Hellenic Studies 127, 2007, 150-153 (Emma Stafford)
Kernos 20, 2007, 387–399 (Gunnel Ekroth)
L’Antiquité Classique 76, 2007, 412-413 (Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge)