The lot in Greek religion

Lecture by Prof. em. Josine Blok, University of Utrecht.

In this talk, we examine the interaction between two foundational attitudes of ancient Greek society: religion and drawing lots. For the Greeks, every facet of life and every human action relied on collaboration with the gods. Drawing lots was a means of decision-making applied in a wide range of institutions on an egalitarian basis. How was drawing lots applied in religion, and how did religion impact drawing lots?

About

Josine Blok has written several important works, including the influential book Citizenship in Classical Athens (2019); On 15 March, Drawing Lots: From Egalitarianism to Democracy in Ancient Greece, co-authored by Blok with Irad Malkin, will be published.