Objective
Ancient Greek polytheism was embedded in the botanical environment. Plants served as the foci of cultic activities and as a means of anchoring the presence of a divine power at a particular site. Ancient Greek cities often honored their gods by assigning them botanical names and epithets. Myths connected elements of the landscape to the past actions of gods and heroes, or to the presence of lesser deities. Texts represented gods acting in and through landscapes, interacting with plants, and even having their favorite biotopes.
Textual evidence, both literary and epigraphic, spanning a wide chronological and geographical range, attests to this phenomenon. To date, however, its collection and interpretation have remained unsystematic and largely anchored in outdated interpretive categories. Moreover, while there is a growing interest in the nexus of religion, environment, and ecology, specialists of ancient Greek polytheism have been reluctant to enter the debate. This is all the more paradoxical at a time when many, both inside and outside academia, are looking to ancient Greek culture and religion for models for rethinking our relationship with the environment.
POLYBOTA proposes the first thorough and methodologically up-to-date analysis of the texts that testify to the cultural significance of the vegetal environment in ancient Greek polytheism. At a first level, this study advances our understanding of the importance of plants to ancient Greek literature and religion, as well as our knowledge of the ways in which the ancient Greeks imagined the action of their gods in and through the natural environment. Moreover, POLYBOTA will offer new models for the analysis of the embedding of human cultures in the living environment, and for exploring the relationship between religion and the environment. Lastly, POLYBOTA contributes to the ongoing debate on nature, religion, and ecology, and fosters discussions with specialists in related disciplines and cultural areas.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion religions
- natural sciences biological sciences botany
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75014 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.