Editorial Reviews. Review. ` offers important challenges to long-established ways of thinking Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor ( Oxford Classical Monographs) - Kindle edition by Beate Dignas. Download it once.
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- Beate Dignas, Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor
- Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor
- Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor
In cases when the evidence is minimal or difficult to interpret, she nonetheless proceeds full steam ahead with assuming or asserting a high level of independence. Although I think she is right about some level of continuity in sanctuary life from the Hellenistic to the Roman period, the strength with which she asserts this continuity is not necessarily consonant with the fragmentary nature of the evidence she presents. More nuanced statements are called for.
Still, she is right to suggest that the evidence does point to the ongoing vitality of many cults in Asia Minor. In other words, some scholars including myself would emphasize the relative inadequacy of these categories for studying cultural life in antiquity.
Beate Dignas, Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor
In reading her theoretical comments on such matters it becomes clear that Dignas is not exactly up to date on the academic study of religion generally. Nor does she actually engage such theoretical issues in a direct way. This is problematic when dealing with the subject of sanctuaries in the Greco-Roman world.
More This book challenges the idea that sanctuaries in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor were fully institutionalised within the cities that hosted them. Bibliographic Information Print publication date: Authors Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Print Save Cite Email Share. Subscriber Login Email Address. Introduction Sanctuaries and Cities.
Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor
Chapter 1 Assessing Sacred Wealth: Chapter 2 The Cults under Hellenistic Rule. Chapter 3 The Cults under Roman Rule. Parker, Chiron 31 [] —54, no. Equally right is her conclusion that " polis and cult were perceived as two different agents," but this does not mean independence. More revealing is, I think, the practice of appointing priests, e.
The same holds true for Ephesos e.
Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor
Dignas concedes that the Greeks did not strictly distinguish "sacred and profane aspects of their civic life" and that the Ephesians sold sacred land, used sacred funds for paving a street , and decided who became priest of Ephesian Artemis The question of whether the priest was strictly a civic magistrate or not is, I think, not relevant. In this, as in other cases, where the evidence seems to speak in favor of a sanctuary being dependent on the city, Dignas tries hard to explain this as a misinterpretation see also —98 on the cult of Apollo.
Of course, there were differences in the relationship between different cities and sanctuaries, and some sanctuaries might have been truly independent of any other power, but this was hardly a general rule.
Even if one does not agree with its overall interpretation, this book is nevertheless a very valuable attempt to understand the system—or systems—of temple finance, taking a fresh look at the many difficult topics connected with this subject. If you would like to authenticate using a different subscribed institution that supports Shibboleth authentication or have your own login and password to Project MUSE, click 'Authenticate'.