Greek and Roman Festivals: Content, Meaning, and Practice

Festivals were the heartbeat of Greek and Roman society and fulfilled significant roles in its social and political organization and within its institutions. Setting the rhythm of the year, festivals were a common denominator for a wide-ranging series of phenomena that concerned a large area of social relationships: social and political processes were formed, maintained, altered, and sanctioned through religious celebrations, as well as uniting the populace in common acts centred on common symbols. The study of religious festivals and the fundamental social functions which they filled can significantly expand our insights into understanding the Greco-Roman world, the social processes it went through, and the symbols it used.

Greek and Roman Festivals addresses the multi-faceted and complex nature of Greco-Roman festivals and analyses the connections that existed between them, as religious and social phenomena, and the historical dynamics that shaped them. The volume contains twelve articles which form an interdisciplinary perspective of classical scholarship, ranging from archaeology, history, and history of religions, to philology.

J. Rasmus Brandt is Professor in Classical Archaeology at the University of Oslo. He has participated and directed excavations in Norway, Cyprus, Italy, and at present in Turkey. He has published widely on both Greek and Roman archaeology and has directed two research projects financed by the Norwegian Research Council.


Jon W. Iddeng is an adviser for The Norwegian Association of Researchers and Research Fellow of Telemark University College. He has published internationally on Roman literature and history.