reacted so strongly to the impieties of 415 BC. ‘‘Famous Athens, divine polis’’ is how
Pindar described the city (fr. 76 Maehler). His words were probably composed in the
second quarter of the fifth century, before many of the developments outlined in this
chapter took place, but they sum up nicely how far Athens’ reputation was indistin-
guishable from its religious system.
GUIDE TO FURTHER READINGTwo of the introductory guides to Greek religion, Bruit Zaidman and Schmitt Pantel 1992 and
Mikalson 2004a, draw extensively upon Athenian evidence, while Price and Kearns 2004
includes numerous relevant entries. On the place of polis religion in the study of Greek religion
more broadly, see Sourvinou-Inwood 1990.
Traditional cults, and above all, foreign imports, are the subject of Garland 1991. Specific
categories of divine beings are examined in Kearns 1989 (heroines), Stafford 2000 (abstrac-
tions), and Larson 2001 (nymphs, a type of being not discussed in this chapter). Though
outmoded in its interpretations, Herrington 1955 provides a discussion of the Athenian cult of
Athena, while Deacy and Villing 2001 and Deacy (forthcoming) examine her worship through-
out the Greek world. Studies of other gods include Rosenzweig 2004 (Aphrodite), Simms
1998 (Adonis), Nixon 1995 (Demeter), Aleshire 1991 (Asclepius), Sourvinou-Inwood 1988a
(Brauronian Artemis), Versnel 1987 (Cronus), and Winkler and Zeitlin 1990 (Dionysus and
the Dionysia). On the principal cult site, the Acropolis, see Hurwit 1999 and Hurwit 2004.
Cults of the demes are considered in Mikalson 1977.
The classic study of Athenian festivals is Deubner 1932. Works in English are Mikalson 1975,
Parke 1977, and Simon 1983. The Panathenaea has generated extensive discussion: see, e.g.,
Neils 1992 and 1996.
An excellent overview of Athenian myths is provided in Parker 1987a. A book-length
introductory work is Tyrrell and Brown 1991. The autochthony myth is explored in Loraux
1993, whose title has been adapted for one of this chapter’s sub-sections.
The major works on the history of Athenian religion are Parker 1996, which covers the
period ca. 750–ca. 250 BC, and Parker 2005. Mikalson 1998 deals with the hellenistic period.
On Peisistratos’ journey, see Connor 2000 and Sinos 1998. On the scandals of 415 BC, see
Furley 1996, Osborne 1985, and Murray 1990c.
The relationship between religion and tragedy is discussed in Sourvinou-Inwood 2003.
Humphreys 2004 applies modern interpretative models to Athenian religion. Dillon 2001
explores women’s religion throughout Greece, notably in Athens.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSI would like to thank Daniel Ogden for inviting me to write this chapter, and for the suggestion
that I adopt an ‘‘Athena-centric’’ approach. This chapter was completed during a lively
teaching term at Roehampton University. I would like to make a special reference to my
students, whose responses to aspects of Athenian myth and cult blurred the all too usual
division between teaching and research. I am indebted to my husband for supporting me
throughout the process of writing.
The Religious System at Athens 235