This dissertation concerns the uses of iconography, visual culture, and material culture in the study of Greek religion. I draw on methods and theoretical frameworks from outside the discipline in order contextualize the study of images and symbols in larger discourses and to introduce the most recent developments in scholarship. To better understand the religious aspects of Greek experience, this dissertation presents a mixture of intellectual history, historiography, and methodological critique. I provide an interdisciplinary overview of symbol theory and approaches to signs, the deep-seated interweaving of theological and artistic concerns in occultist traditions and 19th century scholarship, and iconographic methodologies employed by Classical studies and archaeology. Several themes repeatedly appear throughout the discussion, including the theoretical relationships between material culture and religion and the perceived dichotomy between phenomenological responses and interpretation.
By exploring these topics, it becomes clear that approaches to religion in ancient Greece need to be adapted to better account for visual and material culture. Despite most emphasis on public, ritual-centered aspects, images and objects attest to private encounters with divinities. Based on comparative analysis, I argue that the religious experience of ancient Greeks exhibits many elements of devotionalism, a religious phenomenon developed by Robert Orsi. Two case studies explore Classical Greek iconography in the context of everyday life, personal biography, and emotional response. The first argues that Athenians interacted with the deceased in much the same way as with deities, especially in their use of material culture. Using white-ground lekythoi, I show that tainiai (fabric garlands) are evidence of everyday materials that were used in devotional activity and can be found in women’s domestic experience, shrine activities, and gravesides. In the second case study, I consider iconographic conservatism in the context of personal biographies. I explore childhood encounters with devotional media and the way that such media continued to exert emotional force throughout an individual’s life. I also discuss the emotional impact caused by the perceived uniformity of devotional media, as well as manifestations of the aesthetics of accumulation in the massed votives displayed in sanctuaries.