Visiting the Oracle at Dodona: Contexts of Unknowing in Ancient Greek Religion

Edited by Hugh Bowden, King's College London, Esther Eidinow, University of Bristol

Previous studies of Greek oracles have largely studied 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.

Publisher:

Cambridge University Press

Publication date:

26 February 2026

ISBN:

9781009632218

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009632218

Creative Commons:

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/creativelicenses

Visiting the Oracle at Dodona
pp i-i

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Select Ancient Religion and Cognition - Series page

Ancient Religion and Cognition - Series page
pp ii-ii

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Select Visiting the Oracle at Dodona - Title page

Visiting the Oracle at Dodona - Title page
pp iii-iii

Contexts of Unknowing in Ancient Greek Religion

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Select Copyright page

Copyright page
pp iv-iv

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Select Dedication

Dedication
pp v-vi

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Select Contents

Contents
pp vii-viii

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Select Figures

Figures
pp ix-ix

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Select Tables

Tables
pp x-x

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Select Spelling, Abbreviations, Data Access Statement

Spelling, Abbreviations, Data Access Statement
pp xi-xii

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Select Contributors

Contributors
pp xiii-xiv

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Select Preface and Acknowledgements

Preface and Acknowledgements
pp xv-xvi

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Select Introduction: Contexts and Chronotopes

Introduction: Contexts and Chronotopes
pp 1-14

By Esther Eidinow

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Select Part I - Site and Senses

Part I - Site and Senses
pp 15-120

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Select Chapter 1 - ‘At a Time When the Temple of Dodonean Zeus Had No Walls<span class='italic'>’</span> until the First Century BCE

Chapter 1 - ‘At a Time When the Temple of Dodonean Zeus Had No Walls’ until the First Century BCE
pp 17-33

By Eleni Vasileiou

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Select Chapter 2 - Pilgrimage to Dodona: Visibility, Movement, Motivation

Chapter 2 - Pilgrimage to Dodona: Visibility, Movement, Motivation
pp 34-57

By Diego Chapinal-Heras

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Select Chapter 3 - What Can the Lead Tell Us?

Chapter 3 - What Can the Lead Tell Us?
pp 58-79

By Hugh Bowden

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Select Chapter 4 - Materialist Insights: The Tablets of Dodona as Objects

Chapter 4 - Materialist Insights: The Tablets of Dodona as Objects
pp 80-96

By Erica Angliker

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Select Chapter 5 - Soundscape and Religious Experience at Dodona

Chapter 5 - Soundscape and Religious Experience at Dodona
pp 97-120

By Katerina Kolotourou

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Select Part II - Consultation and Cognition

Part II - Consultation and Cognition
pp 121-239

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Select Chapter 6 - The Lost ‘Instructions for Use’ of the Dodonaean Lamellae

Chapter 6 - The Lost ‘Instructions for Use’ of the Dodonaean Lamellae
pp 123-146

By Pierre Bonnechere

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Select Chapter 7 - Master of Clarity: The Utterances of Zeus Dodonaios in Fifth-Century Tragedy

Chapter 7 - Master of Clarity: The Utterances of Zeus Dodonaios in Fifth-Century Tragedy
pp 147-168

By Jessica Piccinini

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Select Chapter 8 - Selves, Self-talk and Stories in the Dodona Oracle Question Tablets

Chapter 8 - Selves, Self-talk and Stories in the Dodona Oracle Question Tablets
pp 169-189

By Esther Eidinow

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Select Chapter 9 - The Environmental Dimension of Consultations at Dodona: Negotiating Material Practice, Performing Resilience

Chapter 9 - The Environmental Dimension of Consultations at Dodona: Negotiating Material Practice, Performing Resilience
pp 190-213

By Christopher Schliephake

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Select Chapter 10 - Consulting the Oracle at Dodona: An Ontological Perspective

Chapter 10 - Consulting the Oracle at Dodona: An Ontological Perspective
pp 214-239

By Michael A. Flower

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Select Index

Index
pp 240-246

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