Childbirth votives and rituals in ancient Greece

This dissertation provides the first comprehensive account of private worship associated with childbirth throughout the ancient Greek world. It documents the rituals performed by individuals during various stages of the reproductive cycle and the different types of votives that were dedicated to the gods for fertility and birth. My work on this subject builds upon previous studies, which have collected much of the available evidence, by asking new questions of the material. In particular, I have sought to define the patterns of childbirth rituals that occurred in the lives of Greek women and to examine how the dedication of childbirth votives fits within this larger pattern of worship.; The first chapter examines the cultural background within which the rituals and the votives must be understood. In addition to providing information about the divinities who oversaw childbirth and the sanctuaries for which childbirth worship is attested, this chapter explores the wider social and religious attitudes towards procreation and birth that played a defining role in the formation and practice of childbirth rituals.; The second chapter provides a detailed discussion of the rituals surrounding childbirth. By examining the private rituals performed both within sanctuaries and within the home, this chapter establishes the patterns of ritual that punctuated the entire process of birth from the period immediately preceding conception through the time when the mother and child were (re)admitted into society after the birth.; The third chapter examines the votives that represent the best-preserved evidence for childbirth rituals. By providing a critical assessment of the votives by type, I first define what objects were dedicated as childbirth votives, and then I examine these votives in order to gather further information about childbirth rituals and Greek attitudes towards childbirth in general. A catalogue of the votives is provided in Appendix 1.; In my conclusions I summarize the patterns of ritual that accompanied reproduction and analyze the iconography of the childbirth votives within the broader context of artistic depictions of birth.