Robert Parker is Fellow and Tutor in Greek and Latin Languages and Literature at Oriel College, Oxford. Dr. Parker is also the author of Athenian Religion: A History (OUP, 1996).

"The most important book on Greek religion to appear in many years....Not only is this book an extraordinarily penetrating study of religious thought and practice, it also presents a most cogent and balanced analysis of Greek social values."--The Classical Outlook

"This excellent study is not for literary students alone: any Hellenist, whatever his chosen field, is likely to find illumination in it."--The Classical World

"A lucid, judicious, and well-documented assessment of the relevant literary and inscriptional evidence, which is characterized by enormous diversity in time, geographical reference, and genre....A significant and permanent contribution, this book warrants and should enjoy a wide readership."--Journal of the History of Medicine