Ancient supplication

"In Ancient Supplication, the first book-length treatment of the subject, F. S. Naiden establishes the centrality of supplication to our understanding of ancient society. He investigates the varied gestures made by the suppliants, the types of requests they tender, the arguments used in defense of requests, and the role of the supplicandus, who evaluates and decides whether to fulfill the requests. Naiden formulates an analysis of the practice in its sacred and social aspect, articulating literary, legal, and political dimensions. In constructing this analysis, he considered more than 800…