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Visiting the Oracle at Dodona

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2026

Edited by
Hugh Bowden  and
Esther Eidinow
Hugh Bowden
Affiliation:
King's College London
Esther Eidinow
Affiliation:
University of Bristol

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Chapter
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Visiting the Oracle at Dodona
Contexts of Unknowing in Ancient Greek Religion
 , pp. i
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This content is Open Access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/cclicenses/

Visiting the Oracle at Dodona

Previous studies of Greek oracles have largely examined their social and political connections. In contrast, this pioneering volume explores the experience of visiting the oracle of Zeus at Dodona in NW Greece, focusing on the role of the senses and embodied cognition. Building on the unique corpus of oracular question tablets found at the site, it investigates how this experience made new ways of knowing and new forms of knowledge available. Combining traditional treatments of evidence with more recent theoretical approaches, including from psychology, narratology and environmental humanities, the chapters explore the role of nature, sound, touch and stories in the experience of consultation. By evoking the details of this experience, they help the reader understand more deeply what it was like for ancient men and women to visit the oracle and ask the god for help. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Hugh Bowden is Professor of Ancient History at King’s College London. He is the author of books on the oracle of Delphi, ancient mystery cults and Alexander the Great. The main focus of his research is religious experience in the ancient world.

Esther Eidinow is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Bristol. She works on ancient Greek culture and literature, especially religion and magic, and has published widely in this area. Most recently, she designed and led the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded Virtual Reality Oracle project.

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