This book is a collection of studies about the Greek and Roman goddesses—Artemis and Diana—who ruled creatures of the wild. Although they arose separately in Greek and Roman cultures, they were often treated as equivalent. These goddesses had the power of giving birth, health and death. Diana’s temples were built at places where three roads meet, writes Servius (ad Aen. IV.511), outside the city itself, and so they were common, safe meeting places which belonged to no one but were the sites for federal councils, hosted by the goddess. Artemis was associated in particular with bears, and Diana with deer, but both were generally associated with wild animals, as well as with the different phases of life. This volume will be useful not only for researchers on this subject, but also for courses in Greek and Roman studies, mythology, history, and women’s studies.

This text is presented in English and German. This book contains 19 articles dealing with various aspects of the Greek goddess Artemis and the Roman goddess Diana. The themes presented in the volume deal with the Near Eastern equivalents of Artemis, the Bronze Age Linear B testimonies, and Artemis in Homer and in the Greek tragedies. Sanctuaries and cult, and regional aspects are also dealt with - encompassing Cyprus, the Black Sea region, Greece and Italy. Pedimental sculpture, mosaics and sculpture form the basis of investigations of the iconography of the Roman Diana; the role of the cult of Diana in a dynastic setting is also examined. There is a single section that deals with the reception of the iconography of the Ephesian Artemis during the Renaissance and later periods.

The sanctuary dedicated to Diana at Aricia flourished from the Bronze age to the second century CE. From its archaic beginnings in the wooded crater beside the lake known as the 'mirror of Dianea' it grew into a grand Hellenistic-style complex that attracted crowds of pilgrims and the sick. Diana was also believed to confer power on leaders. This book examines the history of Diana's cult and healing sanctuary, which remained a significant and wealthy religious center for more than a thousand years. It sheds new light on Diana herself, on the use of rational as well as ritual healing in the sanctuary, on the subtle distinctions between Latin religious sensibility and the more austere Roman practice, and on the interpenetration of cult and politics in Latin and Roman history.

In Ancient Greece, sometimes death is only the beginning… Medusa’s human form, granted by the virgin goddess, has always been enough for her. Until now. No longer a virgin, Medusa now faces banishment from the temple and Athena’s legendary wrath. Perseus’s love for Medusa breeds poison when kept a secret from all who live on Mt. Olympus. To have a life together, the couple must air the truth, even if it shakes the foundation of the Parthenon. Medusa struggles to embrace her monstrous past, as Perseus is faced with a choice – to embrace a hero’s life, or to follow his heart’s desire. The collision of their destinies forces them into a world that neither imagined.

While the ancient Roman pantheon in many ways resembles that of ancient Greece, there is much that sets apart Roman mythology. Romans also borrowed from the religions of ancient Egypt, Asia Minor, and the Middle East, and legendary figures such as Romulus and Remus, tied closely to the history of Rome, feature prominently in ancient stories. The major and lesser figures of Roman mythology are presented in this vibrant volume with sidebars spotlighting related facts and concepts about Roman mythology and religion.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This volume brings together studies on Greek animal sacrifice by foremost experts in Greek language, literature and material culture. Readers will benefit from the synthesis of new evidence and approaches with a re-evaluation of twentieth-century theories on sacrifice. The chapters range across the whole of antiquity and go beyond the Greek world to consider possible influences in Hittite Anatolia and Egypt, while an introduction to the burgeoning science of osteo-archaeology is provided. The twentieth-century emphasis on sacrifice as part of the Classical Greek polis system is challenged through consideration of various ancient perspectives on sacrifice as distinct from specific political or even Greek contexts. Many previously unexplored topics are covered, particularly the type of animals sacrificed and the spectrum of sacrificial ritual, from libations to lasting memorials of the ritual in art.