Bonnet Lab

Research focus

ERC Advanced Grant · 2016

Mapping Ancient Polytheisms Cult Epithets as an Interface between Religious Systems and Human Agency

Writing the history of ancient religions usually starts with the gods, considered as personifications linked by kinship or affinity. Yet this oversimplified approach overlooks the fact that gods are multifaceted powers, not individuals. MAP proposes to exploit the epithets attributed to the gods as the most efficient indicator of their multiple powers and modes of action, as well as their connection to places where humans interact with them. Epithets identify the god(s) invoked and thus enhance the effectiveness of ritual communication. With the great number of combinations produced by epithets, their entire repertoire results in a highly complex system of divine networks. The volume and…

From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.