Introducing New Gods: The Politics of Athenian Religion

In this book Robert Garland gives us a set of well-researched studies on a subject of importance for ancient Greece and Western civilization. Classical Greece presents a multitude of modestly scaled, sovereign communities, connected by common culture and with religion a salient feature. Each polis possessed cults of pan-Hellenic, Olympian divinities and cults of heroes. The pattern of cults in a given polis was the result of that city's individual history, with all the variety and quirkiness characteristic of historical evolution. Garland describes how one polis, Athens, acquired its constellation of cults. -American Historical Review

Religious innovation is a special problem for polytheists. Worshipers face a heavy burden of choice among countless competitive deities. Religion and politics, nowhere easy to separate, are here inseparable. Every attempt to introduce a new god creates a political and social crisis. New cults seem an obvious key to cultural change in Ancient Greece, but the subject has been relatively neglected. In this nicely written and illustrated book, Robert Garland does much to fill the gap. -Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Introducing New Gods proposes new and provocative ways to view the religious history of ancient Athens. By contextualizing the topic, Robert Garland demonstrates that the relationship between the community and its cults was a dynamic one. He not only avoids skepticism concerning the spiritual content of ancient Greek religion, but forces us to confront modern prejudices. -Paula Perlman, University of Texas