Nothing to do with the afterlife? Divine saving in Greek and Chinese Polytheism

This project brings together historians studying conceptions of divine ‘saving’ in two world polytheistic systems: Greece & China.

Project summary

Ancient Mediterranean religions have often been studied in isolation from religions in the Far East. This project breaks new ground by bringing together Greek and Chinese historians in studying conceptions of divine ‘saving’ in two world polytheistic systems: Greece and China. 

Grounded in close engagement with literary sources and inscriptions, the project will investigate the wide-ranging power of ‘saviour’ gods and the religious beliefs, practices and experience of worshippers.

A comparative approach will challenge us to rethink what we think we know about both religions, change the entrenched insularity of the disciplines, and liberate ourselves from a Eurocentric view of Greece.