Divination and Knowledge in Greco-Roman Antiquity

This volume explores the epistemic value and significance of divination in ancient Greek and Roman cultures, focusing on diverse types of divination, including oracles, astrology, and the reading of omens and signs. It reveals that divination was conceived of as a significant path to insight and understanding and explores the connections between divination and other branches of knowledge, such as medicine and ethnographic discourse. Chapters focus on the interconnections and close relationship between divine and human modes of knowledge, philosophical approaches towards and uses of divination, and the relationship between divination and cultural discourses. The volume aims to catalyze new questions and approaches relating to these under-investigated areas of ancient Greek and Roman life, with significant implications for understanding and assessing ancient Greek and Roman conceptions of epistemic value and variant ways of knowing, ancient philosophy and intellectual culture, lived daily experience in the ancient world, and religious and ritual traditions.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive volume explores the intricate connections between ancient divination and knowledge, shedding light on the epistemic value and significance of divination in ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Through an interlinked and detailed set of case studies, the book delves into diverse forms of divination, including oracles, astrology, and the interpretation of omens and signs in sacrificial animals' entrails, chance utterances, and other earthly and celestial phenomena. The volume reveals that divination was regarded as a vital pathway to gaining insight and understanding by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It also explores the interplay between divination and other branches of knowledge in Greco-Roman antiquity, such as medicine and ethnographic discourse.

Drawing on anthropological studies of contemporary divination and a wealth of ancient philosophical, historical, technical, and literary evidence, the chapters delve into the interconnections and close relationship between divine and human modes of knowledge. They explore nuanced and subtle formulations of the blending of divine, cosmic, and human agency, as well as philosophical approaches to and uses of divination, particularly within Platonism. The volume also examines the relationship between divination and cultural discourses, focusing on gender.

The primary objective of this volume is to provoke new questions and approaches related to these under-investigated areas of ancient Greek and Roman life. These findings have profound implications for our understanding and evaluation of ancient Greek and Roman conceptions of epistemic value and diverse ways of knowing, ancient philosophy and intellectual culture, lived daily experiences in the ancient world, and religious and ritual traditions.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032041728