Brill’s New Pauly

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Pilgrimage
(2,830 words)

[German version]

I. Classical antiquity

Pilgrimage, defined here as a journey of considerable length to a sacred place, undertaken for religious reasons, was a common practice in all of antiquity, not solely a Christian phenomenon.

[German version]

A. Greek world

The best-documented form is the state pilgrimage ( theōría ), in which the Greek city-states sent out envoys (theōroí) to attend religious festivals, announce their own festivals or consult oracles. However, festivals dre…

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Rutherford, Ian C. (Reading), Merkt, Andreas (Mainz) and Toral-Niehoff, Isabel (Freiburg), “Pilgrimage”, in: Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 27 March 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e925300>
First published online: 2006
First print edition: 9789004122598, 20110510



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