15951 - Religions of the Classical World

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have a general knowledge of the methodology of historical-religious research, of the religious history of the classical world, of the sources and of the problems related to the study of the religions of the classical world. They will be able to understand and correctly use the language and tools specific to historical-religious research; they will know the basic aspects of polytheism and the religions of the classical world; they will know the nature of the sources and be able to use them critically for historical reconstruction; they will be able to describe and illustrate, through specific cases, the different dimensions (connection, hybridisation, conflict) of religious-cultural encounters and to understand multicultural contexts. They will be able to communicate orally on the main topics of the discipline; they will be able to recognise, understand and communicate with respect for different cultures and points of view, and to recognise the relationships between different disciplines.

Course contents

Religion as a System of Communication in Ancient Experience and Mentalities: Identity Discourses and Practices of Memory

 

The course examines religion as a system of communication within the experience and mental frameworks of the ancient world, exploring its role in the construction of individual and collective identities and in the transmission of cultural memory.

Particular attention is devoted to the definition of religion in its plural manifestations within the fields of History of Religions, Religious Studies, and the Science of Religion. Students will critically examine the object of historical-religious inquiry by addressing issues of taxonomy and classification, methodological approaches and analytical tools, operational concepts, disciplinary boundaries, historical dynamics, cultural implications, social impact, and contemporary interpretative perspectives.

The course is divided into two teaching modules.

Module 1, offered during the second semester (Third Teaching Term), provides a general introduction to the principal concepts, themes, and methodological approaches required for the study of religion as a cultural system and, more specifically, of the religious systems of Classical Antiquity.

Module 2, offered during the second semester (Fourth Teaching Term), is a thematic module devoted to the in-depth study of a specific topic in the History of Religions.

 

Important Information

Due to technical limitations of the University course management system, this webpage includes information relating both to the principal course

15951 – Religions of the Classical World (12 ECTS)

and to its individual teaching unit

15951 – Religions of the Classical World (Module 2) (6 ECTS)

as well as to the corresponding course sharing the same teaching activities

12967 – Religions of the Classical World (1) (6 ECTS).

The course 15951 – Religions of the Classical World is intended for second-year students enrolled in the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Anthropology, Religions and Oriental Civilisations (ARCO) and forms part of the programme's historical-religious curriculum. Students enrolled in ARCO may choose either the complete 12-ECTS course or Module 2 (6 ECTS), offered during the second semester (Fourth Teaching Term). The latter option is particularly recommended for students who have already included at least one additional course in the History of Religions within their study plan.

The course 12967 – Religions of the Classical World (1) (6 ECTS) is intended for third-year students enrolled in the Bachelor's Degree Programme in History and is offered as an elective within Group 16 A – Ancient History: Cultural and Religious History. Students enrolled in the History programme are required to attend Module 1 (Second Semester, Third Teaching Term).

Students are kindly requested to pay particular attention to the section corresponding to the course or module in which they are enrolled.

 

MODULE 1 – GENERAL SECTION (Third Teaching Term)

Defining the Field of Inquiry to the Functional Organization of Ancient Polytheisms in Comparative Perspective

Module 1 is divided into two complementary sections.

The first section introduces the concept of religion(s) from the perspective of comparative historical research, tracing the principal theoretical and methodological developments that led to the emergence of the History of Religions as an autonomous academic discipline, with particular attention to its historical evolution and cultural specificities.

The second section focuses on the concept of polytheism and examines the distinctive features of the religious systems of the ancient Mediterranean. Particular emphasis will be placed on the pluralistic understanding of the divine characteristic of Greek and Roman religions, together with their mechanisms of differential comparison, religious translation, and cultural interaction.

Detailed Course Outline

1. Introduction to the History of Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean (6 hours)
2. Methods and Sources in the Historical Study of Religions (6 hours)
3. Ancient Polytheisms and Analytical Concepts: Sacred and Profane, Myth, Ritual, Symbol, Sacrifice, and Sacrilegium (6 hours)
4. The Functional Organization of Civic Religions: The World of the Gods and the World of Humans, Foundation Myths, and Rites of Passage (6 hours)
5. Space, Time, Modes of Religious Action, and Strategies of Communication: Temples, Priesthood, Festivals, Death and the Afterlife, Divination, Spirit Possession, and Magic (6 hours)

 

MODULE 2 – THEMATIC SECTION Fourth Teaching Term

Myth: The Development and Deconstruction of an Analytical Category

Module 2 offers a critical examination of the category of myth, exploring its historical formation, theoretical development, and scholarly uses within the disciplines of the History of Religions and anthropology.

Its principal objective is to demonstrate that myth is not a universal or timeless phenomenon, but rather an analytical and interpretative category constructed within modern Western scholarship and progressively reshaped through dialogue among the History of Religions, anthropology, Classical philology, semiotics, and critical theory.

The course begins with an analysis of the Greek term mŷthos and its transformations throughout the intellectual history of the West before examining contemporary critiques of traditional dichotomies such as myth and reason, myth and history, and myth and religion.

Special attention will be devoted to the religions of the ancient Mediterranean, particularly those of Greece and Rome, where myth functioned not merely as narrative but also as a ritual, political, and identity-forming practice.

The course aims to provide students with the methodological tools necessary to understand myth not simply as a traditional narrative but as a cultural form capable of generating memory, legitimising social institutions, and shaping both individual and collective identities.

Detailed Course Outline

1. What Is a Myth? Definitional Problems and the Emergence of the Modern Category (6 hours)
2. Myth, Ritual, and Religion in Ancient Cultures (6 hours)
3. The Anthropology of Myth: Social Function and Symbolic Structure (6 hours)
4. Deconstructing Myth: Semiotics, Ideology, and Modernity (6 hours)
5. Beyond the Category: Contemporary Critiques of the Concept of Myth (6 hours)

 

Teaching Period

Module 1 (Third Teaching Term):
2 February 2027 – 12 March 2027

Module 2 (Fourth Teaching Term):
31 March 2027 – 11 May 2027

Readings/Bibliography

Required Reading for the Oral Examination

MODULE 1

• Pedro Giménez de Aragón Sierra, Rocío Gordillo Hervás, Storia delle religioni del Mediterraneo. Italian translation, introduction, and notes by Giuseppina Paola Viscardi, Pàtron, Bologna, 2026. Students are required to read only the first three chapters (pp. 7–172).
  [https://sol.unibo.it/SebinaOpac/resource/storia-delle-religioni-del-mediterraneo/UBO10323660# ]

From the volume:

• Giuseppina Paola Viscardi (ed.), Percorsi interdisciplinari della ricerca storico-religiosa sul mondo antico: Atti del Convegno internazionale (Bologna, 18–19 May 2021), Pàtron, Bologna, 2023.

Students are required to read only the following chapters:

• Claude Calame, The Concept of Religion: Sociological, Cognitive, Anthropological, and Critical Perspectives, pp. 27–43.
• Claudia Santi, Mythos from Homer to Aristotle: In Search of an Emic Category of Greek Thought, pp. 105–128.
• Ileana Chirassi Colombo, Sacer, Sacrum, Sanctus, Religiosus: Historical-Semantic Evaluations and Contradictions, in Sacrum facere. Proceedings of the First Seminar on the Archaeology of the Sacred (Trieste, 17–18 February 2012), ed. Federica Fontana, Edizioni Università di Trieste, Trieste, 2013, pp. 11–21.
  (Available online through the University's Virtuale platform.)

MODULE 2

Students are required to choose one of the following monographs:

• Marcel Detienne, The Creation of Mythology (L'invenzione della mitologia), Boringhieri, Turin, 1983.
  [https://sol.unibo.it/SebinaOpac/resource/linvenzione-della-mitologia/UBO00294754 ]
• Jean-Pierre Vernant, Myth and Thought among the Greeks: Studies in Historical Psychology (Mito e pensiero presso i greci: studi di psicologia storica), Einaudi, Turin, 2001.
  [https://sol.unibo.it/SebinaOpac/resource/mito-e-pensiero-presso-i-greci-studi-di-psicologia-storica/UBO00879344 ]
• Gianluca De Sanctis, Rome before Rome: Myths and Foundations of the Eternal City (Roma prima di Roma. Miti e fondazioni della Città eterna), Salerno Editrice, Rome, 2021.
  [https://sol.unibo.it/SebinaOpac/resource/roma-prima-di-roma-miti-e-fondazioni-della-citta-eterna/UBO07921462 ]

 

Optional Reading for Further Critical Engagement with Modern Interpretations and Theoretical Perspectives

• Paul Veyne, Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths?, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2013.
• Claude Lévi-Strauss, The Raw and the Cooked (any edition).
• Roland Barthes, Mythologies (any edition).
• Michel Foucault, The Order of Discourse (any edition).

 

Non-attending Students

Students who do not attend the course are required to supplement the required reading listed above with an individual written assignment, which constitutes an integral part of the final assessment and will be discussed during the oral examination.

Please note: the written assignment is supplementary to, and does not replace, the required course readings.

The assignment should be 15,000–20,000 characters (including spaces), corresponding approximately to 5–7 A4 pages, and must be prepared according to the following formatting requirements:

• Times New Roman, 12-point font;
• 1.5 line spacing;
• 2.5 cm margins;
• footnotes in Times New Roman, 10-point font;
• a final bibliography prepared according to accepted academic referencing standards.

The first page of the assignment must include:

• the title of the paper;
• the student's full name;
• the student ID number;
• the degree programme;
• the course title and academic year.

The topic must be agreed upon with the course instructor and should address one of the themes discussed during the course or a related methodological, theoretical, or historical-religious issue. The paper should demonstrate the student's ability to engage critically with the relevant scholarly literature, develop an independent and well-reasoned argument, and employ appropriate academic language and disciplinary terminology.

The completed assignment must be submitted to the course instructor at least seven days before the scheduled examination date, unless otherwise agreed. It will be discussed during the oral examination, during which students will be expected to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of both the assigned bibliography and the topic developed in their written work.

Erasmus or International students who have language difficulties with scientific essays, textbooks, or study materials may agree with the instructor on an alternative bibliography in English, well in advance of the exam date.

Teaching methods

Classes are conducted exclusively in person and are not recorded.

The course consists of a series of lectures designed to introduce and critically examine the principal themes outlined in the syllabus. Teaching is supported by PowerPoint presentations, visual and audiovisual materials, and complemented by structured class discussions and collective critical reflection.

More specifically, the course includes:

• lectures;
• guided reading and discussion of theoretical texts;
• analysis of ancient primary sources;
• seminar-style discussions;
• comparative examination of historical-religious and anthropological approaches.

A wide range of teaching materials will be employed throughout the course, including:

• ancient literary texts;
• archaeological evidence, images, and documentary sources;
• anthropological studies;
• contemporary theoretical works.

Assessment methods

Regular attendance is strongly recommended, as it will facilitate successful completion of the course assessment. Students who attend at least 75% of the scheduled classes will be considered attending students.

The course is assessed by means of a final oral examination, during which students are expected to demonstrate:

• a thorough knowledge of the required bibliography;
• the ability to reason critically and analyse the materials studied;
• the capacity to identify and develop conceptual relationships and intertextual connections;
• appropriate command of academic language and disciplinary terminology.

Assessment Criteria

Final grades will be awarded according to the following criteria:

• Excellent (30 cum laude): awarded to students who demonstrate an outstanding and critically informed understanding of the course contents, supported by rigorous argumentation, sophisticated analytical skills, coherent and well-structured discussion, and excellent command of academic language.
• Excellent (30/30): awarded to students who demonstrate comprehensive and accurate knowledge of the subject matter, supported by clear reasoning, well-organised arguments, and appropriate academic expression.
• Very Good (27–29/30): awarded to students who demonstrate more than satisfactory knowledge of the course contents, expressed clearly and correctly.
• Good (24–26/30): awarded to students who demonstrate a sound understanding of the fundamental topics, although their knowledge may not always be comprehensive or articulated with sufficient depth and precision.
• Satisfactory (21–23/30): awarded to students who demonstrate general knowledge of the subject but whose preparation remains relatively superficial, with occasional inaccuracies in terminology and argumentation.
• Pass (18–20/30): awarded to students whose knowledge is fragmented or incomplete and whose discussion is characterised by uncertainty, limited organisation, or conceptual gaps, while still meeting the minimum learning outcomes.
• Fail (below 18/30): awarded when students demonstrate insufficient or seriously inadequate knowledge of the subject and are unable to show an appropriate understanding of the discipline or its methodological foundations.

Students with Disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities are encouraged to contact the University's dedicated support service well in advance:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it

The support service will assess individual needs and propose any appropriate accommodations. Any proposed adjustments must be submitted to the course instructor at least 15 days before the examination for approval. The instructor will evaluate the suitability of the requested accommodations in relation to the intended learning outcomes of the course.

Examination Sessions (Academic Year 2026/2027)

Nine examination sessions are scheduled for the academic year 2026/2027:

• 19 May 2027
• 16 June 2027
• 14 July 2027
• 27 September 2027
• 20 October 2027
• 15 December 2027
• 19 January 2028
• 16 February 2028
• 29 March 2028 

Examination dates are published on the instructor's webpage under Teaching > Examination Sessions and through the AlmaEsami online examination platform.

 

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Assessments

A limited, transparent, and non-substantive use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is permitted exclusively for ancillary purposes, such as producing summaries or assisting with the reformulation of texts.

The substantive use of generative AI tools for completing any part of the examination or assessment is not permitted. Students are expected to ensure that all submitted work reflects their own independent understanding, critical analysis, and academic abilities.

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Teaching tools

The PowerPoint presentations, audiovisual materials used during the lectures, and PDF copies of the readings listed in the "Texts/Bibliography" section will be made available to students through the Teaching Materials area and on the University's Virtuale e-learning platform.

Students with Disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who require reasonable accommodations due to disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are encouraged to contact the University's dedicated support service as early as possible:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

The support service will assess individual needs and propose appropriate accommodations. Any proposed adjustments must be submitted to the course instructor at least 15 days in advance for approval. The instructor will evaluate the suitability of the requested accommodations in light of the intended learning outcomes of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppina Paola Viscardi