AMS 250 Serving Gods: Religion in Ancient Greece and Rome

This course will use documents and material artifacts to reconstruct the beliefs and rituals of the traditional religions of Greece and Rome. The approach will focus on particular shared aspects of the sacred among the Greeks and Romans. Topics will include Greco-Roman theology, sacrifice and its interpretation, hero cult, the afterlife, oracles and forms of prophecy, maintenance of sanctuaries, philosophical religion and emperor worship.