Maria Mili has studied history and archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Oxford. She lives in Athens and Crete.

• List of Maps ; Abbreviations ; 1. Three Questions for a Regional Study of Religion ; 1.1. Regional Studies of Religion: Questions, Structures, and Titles ; 1.2. Defining the Unit of Analysis: Polis Religion in Ethne? ; 1.3. Describing Difference ; 1.4. Assessing the Evidence ; 1.4 1a. Inscribed Sculpted Dedications ; 1.4 1b. Other Dedications ; 1.4 2. Varieties of Religious Space ; 1.5. At the Limits of the Evidence: The Case of Hera ; 2. Oligarchic Constitution and Religion in the Thessalian Poleis ; 2.1 Religion, Oligarchic Citizenship and the Ethnos ; 2.2 The Gene and Phratries versus Phylai Controversy ; 2.3 Citizenship in Thessalian Poleis ; 2.3.1 Political Participation and Citizenship ; 2.3.2 Politeia, Politeuma, and Astos in Thessalian Inscriptions ; 2.4 The Second Sex: Women in Thessalian Society and World View ; 2.5 Models of Oligarchic Constitution and Religion in the Thessalian Poleis ; 3. Polis Cults ; 3.1 Questions and Definitions ; 3.2 Cults on the Acropolis ; 3.2.1 Guarding the City: The Cult of Athena Polias ; 3.2.2 Killing for the City: The Problem of Zeus Thaulios ; 3.2.3 Acropolis' Views of the Countryside: Dionysus, Demeter, and Heracles. ; 3.3 Cults in the Agora ; 3.3.1 Cults in the Agora(s) of Atrax: Themis, Athena, and Others? ; 3.3.2 Hestia: Private Claims at the Common Hearth? ; 3.3.3 Whose Profit? The Cult of Apollo Kerdoos ; 3.4 Around the Walls ; 3.4.1 The Cult of Asclepius ; 3.4.2 On the Road: The Cult of Ennodia ; 3.5 Conclusions: Polis Cults of the 'Thessalian Polis' ; 4. Thessaly through the Kaleidoscope ; 4.1 The Thessalian Space-time ; 4.2 Mythical Structures of Thessalian Geography ; 4.3 Historical Perspectives: New People, New Gods, New Cities ; 5. Panthessalianism and Religion ; 5.1 Thessalian Unity and 'Ethnos Religion' ; 5.2 Who Were the Thessalians? ; 5.3 The Cult of Athena Itonia and the Problem of Beginnings ; 5.4 The Cult of Poseidon Petraios and the Festival Peloria: Different Ways of Being Thessalian ; 5.5 Thessaly and Delphi ; 5.6 Cults of the Thessalians and Their Syngeneis ; 5.7 Panthessalianism and Religion: Understanding Variety ; 6. The Land Rich in Herbs ; 6.1 Welcome to Thessaly: Meadows, Horses, Parties, and Herbs! ; 6.2 Thessalian Visions of the Underworld ; 6.3 Priests, Charlatans, and Charismatics ; 6.4 The Enchantment of Thessaly ; Epilogue ; Appendix 1: Thessalian inscribed dedications ; Appendix 2: Site-summaries of Thessalian sanctuaries ; Appendix 3: Catalogue of social/religious groups attested in the epigraphic record ; Bibliography ; Subject Index ; Select Index of Sources

a valuable and much-needed contribution to the study of Thessalian affairs and should be read by all students and scholars of Greek religion and history.