Symposium on Sortilege in Late Antiquity

Symposium on Sortilege in Late Antiquity November 12-13, 2011 at Princeton University Sortilege, the practice of making decisions or foretelling the future by casting lots, was both widely practiced and at the same time highly contested in the Mediterranean world of Late Antiquity. While secular and ecclesiastical leaders often expressly prohibited such practices, lot divination proved resilient and even remained vibrant throughout the centuries. The symposium’s participants will analyze lot texts in their larger social-historical and religious contexts, especially against the backdrop of the classical Greek and Latin canon and the formation of the major book religions in the Mediterranean basin as well as their evolving bodies of sacred scriptures. Registration is free. Conference website: http://www.princeton.edu/~sortes/ William E. Klingshirn Professor and Chair of Greek and Latin The Catholic University of America