Ancient Supplication

by F.S. Naiden

This is the first book-length treatment of supplication, an important social practice in ancient Mediterranean civilizations. Despite the importance of supplication, it has received little attention, and no previous study has explored so many aspects of the practice. Naiden investigates the varied gestures made by the supplicants, the types of requests they make, the arguments used in defense of their requests, and the role of the supplicandus, who evaluates and decides whether to fulfill the requests. Varied and abundant sources invite comparison between the societies of Greece and Rome and also among literary genres. Additionally, Naiden formulates an analysis of the ritual in its legal and political contexts. In constructing this rich and thorough study, Naiden considered over 800 acts of supplication from Greek, Hebrew, and Roman literature, art, and scientific sources. 30 illustrations and a map of the relevant locations accompany the text.

440 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Fred Naiden is Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He studies ancient Greek law, religion, and warfare, including Near-Eastern parallels, especially among the Western Semites. Chief periods of interest are the Archaic and Classical. The early Roman Republic is a secondary interest.

Reviews

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ancient Supplication is a comprehensive look at supplication in the ancient western world. The detail is amazingly dense. However, I was left wondering at the end why I cared. The author did not illuminate why I spent over 400 pages with this topic. The study needs some reason for its existence and I am not sure what that reason is.