Ash & Aether - Pagan Priesthoods: Greece and Rome

In this episode, we explore the priesthoods of Classical Greece and Ancient Rome, uncovering the roles of priests, priestesses, augurs, flamines, pontiffs, Vestal Virgins, and the legendary Pythia of Delphi. Rather than focusing on myths alone, we'll examine how these sacred offices actually functioned within their societies, how religion became intertwined with civic life, and why ritual precision was considered essential to maintaining the favor of the gods. Drawing from ancient writers including Homer, Hesiod, Herodotus, Livy, Cicero, Plutarch, and Pausanias, alongside archaeological discoveries from Delphi, Olympia, the Roman Forum, and beyond, we'll separate popular misconceptions from the historical evidence to better understand the spiritual foundations of the Greco-Roman world. Whether you're interested in ancient religion, European pagan traditions, archaeology, mythology, or the history of ritual, this journey into the sacred traditions of Greece and Rome offers a fascinating glimpse into one of history's most influential religious landscapes. ⚜️ Sources and recommended reading are listed below in the description. Find NonKosherSalt: https://volklink.com/%40nks Ancient Greek Sources The Iliad — Homer https://archive.org/search?query=Homer+Iliad+PDF The Odyssey — Homer https://archive.org/search?query=Homer+Odyssey+PDF The Theogony — Hesiod https://archive.org/search?query=Hesiod+Theogon... Works and Days — Hesiod https://archive.org/search?query=Hesiod+Works+a... Histories — Herodotus https://archive.org/search?query=Herodotus+Hist... History of the Peloponnesian War — Thucydides https://archive.org/search?query=Thucydides+His... Anabasis — Xenophon https://archive.org/search?query=Xenophon+Anaba... Cyropaedia — Xenophon https://archive.org/search?query=Xenophon+Cyrop... Euthyphro — Plato https://archive.org/search?query=Plato+Euthyphr... Republic — Plato https://archive.org/search?query=Plato+Republic... Politics — Aristotle https://archive.org/search?query=Aristotle+Poli... Lives — Plutarch https://archive.org/search?query=Plutarch+Lives... Description of Greece — Pausanias https://archive.org/search?query=Pausanias+Desc... Geography — Strabo https://archive.org/search?query=Strabo+Geograp... Greek Archaeology and Sanctuary Studies Olympia: Its History, Monuments, and Museum — German Archaeological Institute https://archive.org/search?query=Olympia+archae... Delphi Archaeological Site Studies https://archive.org/search?query=Delphi+sanctua... The Acropolis of Athens: Archaeological Studies https://archive.org/search?query=Acropolis+Athe... Eleusis: The Archaeological Site and the Mysteries https://archive.org/search?query=Eleusis+archae... Ancient Roman Sources Ab Urbe Condita (History of Rome) — Livy https://archive.org/search?query=Livy+Ab+Urbe+C... De Divinatione — Cicero https://archive.org/search?query=Cicero+De+Divi... De Natura Deorum — Cicero https://archive.org/search?query=Cicero+De+Natu... De Legibus — Cicero https://archive.org/search?query=Cicero+De+Legi... Roman Antiquities — Dionysius of Halicarnassus https://archive.org/search?query=Dionysius+of+H... Histories — Polybius https://archive.org/search?query=Polybius+Histo... Aeneid — Virgil https://archive.org/search?query=Virgil+Aeneid+PDF Fasti — Ovid https://archive.org/search?query=Ovid+Fasti+PDF Natural History — Pliny the Elder https://archive.org/search?query=Pliny+Natural+... The Twelve Caesars — Suetonius https://archive.org/search?query=Suetonius+Twel... Res Gestae Divi Augusti — Augustus https://archive.org/search?query=Res+Gestae+Div... Roman Archaeology and Epigraphy The Roman Forum: Its History and Monuments https://archive.org/search?query=Roman+Forum+ar... The Capitoline Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus Studies https://archive.org/search?query=Temple+of+Jupi... The House of the Vestal Virgins — Archaeological Studies https://archive.org/search?query=House+of+the+V... The Ara Pacis Augustae: Studies and Interpretations https://archive.org/search?query=Ara+Pacis+Augu... Roman Inscriptions of the Early Empire https://archive.org/search?query=Roman+inscript... Modern Scholarship Greek Religion — Walter Burkert https://archive.org/search?query=Walter+Burkert... Greek Religion — Robert Parker https://archive.org/search?query=Robert+Parker+... Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A History — Mary Beard, John North, Simon Price https://archive.org/search?query=Religions+of+R... Religions of Rome, Volume 2: A Sourcebook — Mary Beard, John North, Simon Price https://archive.org/search?query=Religions+of+R... An Introduction to Roman Religion — John Scheid https://archive.org/search?query=John+Scheid+In... Religion of the Romans — Jörg Rüpke https://archive.org/search?query=Jorg+Rupke+Rel... SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome — Mary Beard https://archive.org/search?query=Mary+Beard+SPQ...