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An empirical analysis of polytheism

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  • Laurent Gauthier

    (Université Paris 8 Saint-Denis Vincennes
    Cliometry and Complexity, Institut Rhônalpin de Systèmes Complexes
    Université Paris Nanterre)

Abstract

The study of polytheism in sociology and anthropology is not a very well researched subject, apart from works that belong in historical anthropology, carried out by historians. One limitation in many of these is the lack of data, or any form of systematic survey that could inform quantitative analyses. In this paper, we examine acts of worship in polytheistic religion empirically and quantitatively on a large scale, which has not been done before. We study a large volume of ancient Greek epigraphic sources, and focus on the distribution of votive acs across divinities. Who had the most? Who was the least favored? We show that clear patterns emerge in the distributions of worship acts among gods, across city-states using a maximum likelihood estimator. They follow power laws with a high degree of regularity, and do not appear to be driven by particular characterizations of the polities, as various ordinary least-squares regressions indicate.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurent Gauthier, 2025. "An empirical analysis of polytheism," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 797-818, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:59:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11135-024-02024-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11135-024-02024-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Xavier Gabaix, 2016. "Power Laws in Economics: An Introduction," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 30(1), pages 185-206, Winter.
    2. Jeff Alstott & Ed Bullmore & Dietmar Plenz, 2014. "powerlaw: A Python Package for Analysis of Heavy-Tailed Distributions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, January.
    3. Laurent Gauthier, 2024. "A Strategic Model of Polytheism," Post-Print hal-04624416, HAL.
    4. Ruffle Bradley J. & Sosis Richard, 2007. "Does It Pay To Pray? Costly Ritual and Cooperation," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 7(1), pages 1-37, March.
    5. Laurent Gauthier, 2024. "A strategic model of polytheism," Rationality and Society, , vol. 36(4), pages 480-501, November.
    6. Rajeev Kohli & Raaj Sah, 2006. "Some Empirical Regularities in Market Shares," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(11), pages 1792-1798, November.
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