Tra uno e molti. Unità e molteplicità di rappresentazione del divino nei pantheon greco e romano

Graeco-Roman religion in its classic form was polytheistic; on the other hand, monotheistic ideas enjoyed wide currency in ancient philosophy. This contradiction provides a challenge for our understanding of ancient pagan religion. This essay aims to analyze the debated question about the nature of Graeco-Roman polytheism, that is to say if it was essentially polytheistic or monotheistic. In conclusion, we can maintain that, in the ancient world, while on the level of belief there is a tendency to assimilate characteristic features representative of a divine entity (be it Apollo, Zeus or Dionysus) which was perceived and situated at the apex of a hierarchical conception of the pantheon, on a practical level, namely that of individual and collective piety, the tendency to diversify the cult is preserved, in line with the structuring of a system founded on the coexistence and interaction of a plurality of divine agencies that are variously grouped according to the role and function exerted by the individual members in specific religious and cultural contexts.