Greek Polytheism: A Historical Subject. Inaugural lecture delivered at the Collège de France on Thursday 7 December 2017

Greek polytheism was not a simple collection of juxtaposed gods and goddesses, but a complex interplay between deities at different levels - local, regional and panhellenic. Significant evidence - combining literary, epigraphic, archaeological and iconographic sources - has profoundly renewed the study of Greek polytheism and made it a relevant subject to understand ancient societies from both a historical and anthropological perspective.
Greek religion is deeply embedded in unexpected areas and bringing it to the fore helps to enrich our understanding of the ancient Greek world.