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My first degree was in Classics (Oxford 1984) and my DPhil (Oxford 1990) examined religion in the Greek historian Herodotus. I have been teaching at King's since 1989.

My research is focused on the practice of ancient religion, in particular in ancient Greece. My new book, due out later in 2009, is on Mystery Cults in the Ancient World, and explores how some religious rituals offered participants a chance to make direct contact with the gods, through ecstatic activity, or intense physical experience. My next project will examine the religion of Alexander the Great.

• Hugh Bowden (2011)  'A New History of the Peloponnesian War' INTERNATIONAL HISTORY REVIEW, 33 (2), pp. 353-354.
  [Book Review (Print)]
• Hugh Bowden (2011)  'War, Peace, and Alliance in Demosthenes' Athens' INTERNATIONAL HISTORY REVIEW, 33 (3), pp. 545-546.
  [Book Review (Print)]
• Hugh Bowden (2010) Mystery Cults in the Ancient World Thames & Hudson [Authored Book in print]
• Hugh Bowden (2008)  'Before Superstition and After: Theophrastus and Plutarch on Deisidaimonia' PAST AND PRESENT, pp. 56-71.
  [Article in print Journal]
• Hugh Bowden (2008)  'Oracles, Curses, and Risk among the Ancient Greeks' JOURNAL OF HELLENIC STUDIES, 128, pp. 220-221.
  [Book Review (Print)]
• Hugh Bowden (2007)  'Cults of Demeter Eleusinia and the transmission of religious ideas' Mediterranean Historical Review, 22 (1), pp. 71-83. [Article in print Journal]
• Hugh Bowden (2005) '', in [Chapter]
• H Bowden (2005) Classical Athens and the Delphic Oracle Divination and Democracy Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 
  [Authored Book in print]
• Hugh Bowden, Louis Rawlings (2005) Herakles and Hercules: Exploring a Graeco-Roman Divinity Swansea: The Classical Press of Wales [Edited book in print]
• Hugh Bowden (2005) 'Herakles, Herodotos and the Persian Wars', in Herakles and Hercules: Exploring a Graeco-Roman Divinity pp. 1-14 [Chapter]
• Hugh Bowden (2004) 'Xenophon and the Scientific Study of Religion', in Xenophon and his world : papers from a conference held in Liverpool in July 1999 pp. 229-246 [Chapter]
• Hugh Bowden (2003) 'Oracles for sale', in Herodotus and his world : essays from a conference in memory of George Forrest pp. 256-274
  [Chapter]
• Hugh Bowden (2003)  'The functions of the Delphic Amphictyony before 346 BCE' SCRIPTA CLASSICA ISRAELICA, 22, pp. 67-84. [Article in print Journal]
• H Bowden (2002) The Times Ancient Civilizations London: Collins 
  [Authored Book in print]
• H Bowden (1999)  'A pictorial topographical commentary on Herodotus' 'Historien'. Asia-Minor and neighboring regions including Southeastern Thrace and Cyprus' JOURNAL OF HELLENIC STUDIES, 119, pp. 204-204. [Book Review (Print)]
• H Bowden (1999)  'Ancient Greek laws. A sourcebook' CLASSICAL REVIEW, 49 (2), pp. 591-592. [Book Review (Print)]
• H Bowden (1999)  'Eleusis and Athens: Documents in finance, religion and politics in the 5th century B.C.' CLASSICAL REVIEW, 49 (2), pp. 472-474. [Book Review (Print)]
• H Bowden (1999)  'The Eleusinian perspective in the policy of Solon' CLASSICAL REVIEW, 49 (2), pp. 472-474. [Book Review (Print)]
• H Bowden (1999)  'The mother of the gods: From Cybele to the Virgin Mary' CLASSICAL REVIEW, 49 (2), pp. 586-587. [Book Review (Print)]

Undergraduate

• 4AACFY21 Democracy & Oligarchy in the Classical World
• 5AACAHC2 Writing History
• 5AACHI01 Greek History down to 322BC
• 6AACHI13 Alexander the Great
• 6AACHI17 Greek Religion

Postgraduate

• 7AACM420 Greek Religion: Myth & Meaning  
• 7AACM421 Greek Religion: Culture & Cognition           

I am interested in supervising students in:

Titles of theses I am supervising or have recently supervised:

• Conon and the changing of Athenian Democracy
• Military Control in the Age of Thucydides and Xenophon
• The navy in classical Athens: evidence from Athenian religion (jointly with Karim Arafat)
• Re-envisioning Xenophon's political theory

I am Tutor for Graduates, and Graduate Admissions Tutor in the Department of Classics.