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Both great Persian invasions of Greece, in 490 and 480-79 B.C., both repulsed by the Greeks, provide our best chance for understanding the interplay of religion and history in early Greece on a huge scale. While using Histories of Herodotus as well as other historical and archaeological resources, Jon Mikalson shows how the Greeks practiced their religion as of this pivotal instant in their history.In the time of the invasions and the years immediately afterward, the Greeks—internationally, point out by point out, and sometimes independently—turned to their deities, using spiritual practices to effect, understand, and commemorate happenings that were intimidating their very existence. Greeks prayed and sacrificed; made and fulfilled vows to the gods; consulted oracles; interpreted omens and dreams; created cults, sanctuaries, and festivals; and offered dozens of dedications to their gods and heroes—all in relation to known historical happenings. By portraying the human situations and historical circumstances in which Greeks practiced their religion, Mikalson advances our understanding of the role of religion in fifth-century Greece and uncovers a religious dimension of the Persian Wars that is heretofore overlooked.
