Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions is the first comprehensive single-volume reference work offering authoritative coverage of ancient religions in the Mediterranean world. Chronologically, the volume’s scope extends from pre-historical antiquity in the third millennium B.C.E. through the rise of Islam in the seventh century C.E. An interdisciplinary approach draws out the common issues and elements between and among religious traditions in the Mediterranean basin. Key features of the volume include:
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- Detailed maps of the Mediterranean World, ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, and the Hellenistic World
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- A comprehensive timeline of major events, innovations, and individuals, divided by region to provide both a diachronic and pan-Mediterranean, synchronic view
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- A broad geographical range including western Asia, northern Africa, and southern Europe
This encyclopedia will serve as a key point of reference for all students and scholars interested in ancient Mediterranean culture and society.
Eric Orlin is Professor of Classics at the University of Puget Sound. He is the author of Temples, Religion and Politics in the Roman Republic (1997) and Foreign Cults in Rome: Creating a Roman Empire (2010), in addition to articles on religion, memory, and culture during the age of Augustus.
Lisbeth S. Fried has written over forty articles on the ancient Near East and biblical studies. In addition, she is the author of Ezra, a Commentary (forthcoming), Ezra and the Law in History and Tradition (2014), and The Priest and the Great King: Temple-Palace Relations in the Persian Empire (2004), and editor of Was 1 Esdras First? An Investigation into the Priority and Nature of 1 Esdras (2011). She is currently preparing a critical commentary on Nehemiah.
Jennifer Knust is Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Boston University. Author of a number of books and articles, her recent publications include Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions on Sex and Desire (2011) and, with Zsuzsanna Varhelyi, Ancient Mediterranean Sacrifice (2011).
Michael Satlow is Professor of Religious Studies and Judaic Studies at Brown University. He has written on the social and religious history of Jews in antiquity as well as on method and theory in the study of religion. He has held fellowships from the ACLS and John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, among others. His most recent book is How the Bible Became Holy (2014).
Michael E. Pregill holds the position of Interlocutor in the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations at Boston University, where he is developing a new digital scholarship initiative dedicated to interdisciplinary approaches to Islam. His monograph, The Living Calf of Sinai: Bible and Qur’an between Late Antiquity and Islam, is forthcoming.