Old Gods and the New: (Re)Invention of Athenian Cults in the Hellenistic Period

The history of Athens in the Hellenistic period is a turbulent one. The polis was reduced to a second- or even a third-rate power and had to deal with powerful neighboring empires. Political and economic tides affected Athenian religion and its cult practices. Depending on the current political context and their material wealth, Athenians used their religion to establish their place in a wider Hellenistic world, to promote their polis, or as a means of foreign policy either by honoring or placating kings and other mighty men and women. This paper aims to give an overview of the development of cults and cult practices in Athens roughly from the death of Alexander the Great to the Sulla's sacking of the city in 86 BC. The focus will be on the establishment of new cults and the resurgence of old ones in a new context