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Chapter 8 - Dedications

from Part II - Beliefs and Practices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2025

Julia Kindt
Affiliation:
University of Sydney
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Summary

This chapter explores the personal dimension of Greek religion through the archaeological evidence for votives in Archaic and Classical Greece. Dedications serve as a prime example of how ancient worship could simultaneously be personal, civic, individual and collective. They point to how these aspects can and should be studied together to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of how people communicated with the gods. Traditionally, small dedications have been more closely associated with the individual, while large dedications (e.g. statues) are frequently studied as civic monuments. Through two case studies – textile dedications at Brauron and korai on the Acropolis – the chapter breaks down these divides. We consider the varying ways in which we can define ‘personal’ in relation to different types of dedications and in relation to different aspects of the dedicatory act. Using a combination of embodied, sensorial, emotional, theological and experiential perspectives, the chapter shows how worshippers used dedications to negotiate the relationship between personal engagement with the divine and their understanding of the communal aspects of religion.

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  • Dedications
  • Edited by Julia Kindt, University of Sydney
  • Book: Personal Religion in the Ancient Greek World
  • Online publication: 25 November 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009628815.009
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  • Dedications
  • Edited by Julia Kindt, University of Sydney
  • Book: Personal Religion in the Ancient Greek World
  • Online publication: 25 November 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009628815.009
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Dedications
  • Edited by Julia Kindt, University of Sydney
  • Book: Personal Religion in the Ancient Greek World
  • Online publication: 25 November 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009628815.009
Available formats
×