Between fearing and worshipping. Household spirits in the Greco Roman World

This volume is an interdisciplinary examination of the supernatural creatures associated with the domestic sphere in Greece and Rome. It is a vast subject of study, given the diversity of entities and their complexity, characterised by the closeness of supernatural creatures to individuals and their closest radius of action, i.e. the family, the household, the clan and the close-knit community. The fear that this closeness could be detrimental to the earthly world and its inhabitants manifests itself in different ways. In order to better understand ancient manÆs relationship with familiar spirits, it is necessary to analyse the multiple meanings used to refer to them and their meanings, as well as the public and private ritual contexts, and  their presence in epigraphic, archaeological and literary sources. To  this end, this book brings together works by international specialists from different fields of study.