Oracles, curses, and risk among the ancient Greeks

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Oracles, curses, and risk among the ancient Greeks

Esther Eidinow

Oxford University Press, 2007

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Oracles, curses, & risk among the ancient Greeks

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Note

Based on the author's thesis (doctoral)--Oxford, 1999-2003

Bibliography: p. [456]-480

Includes indexes

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Esther Eidinow sets the published question tablets from the oracle at Dodona side by side with the binding-curse tablets from across the ancient Greek world, and explores what they can tell us about perceptions of and expressions of risk among ordinary Greek men and women, as well as the insights they afford into civic institutions and activities, and social dynamics. Eidinow follows the anthropologist Mary Douglas in defining `risk' as socially constructed, in contrast to most other ancient historians, who treat risk-management as a way of handling objective external dangers. The book includes a full catalogue of all published texts from Dodona, as well as the 159 curse tablets discussed, together with translations of all texts.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • 1. Exploring uncertainty
  • 2. A lapse into unreason
  • 3. Individuals and oracles
  • 4. The dwelling of the spirit
  • 5. A catalogue and summary of published questions by individuals and responses from the Dodona oracle
  • 6. Oracles and daily life
  • 7. Curses!
  • 8. Urban drama
  • 9. The best defence
  • 10. Business as usual?
  • 11. Love and curses
  • 12. Curses and risk
  • Conclusion

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