Home›Subcategories›Polytheistic (Historical)SubcategoriesPolytheistic (Historical)18 of 186 entries in Religions. Click any to see everything it connects to.Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Polytheistic (Historical)." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/subcategories/religion/polytheistic-historical.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Polytheistic (Historical). Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/subcategories/religion/polytheistic-historicalCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-polytheistic-historical, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Polytheistic (Historical)}, year = {2026}, url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/subcategories/religion/polytheistic-historical}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXThe many-deity religions of the ancient world, reconstructed from their texts, temples, inscriptions and art. They ended as living public religions but left behind the pantheons, myths and festivals that later traditions drew on continuously, and much of the Atlas's material on deities and sacred figures comes from them.FactsLearn MoreSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe many-deity religions of the ancient world, known from their own texts, temples, inscriptions and art, and no longer carried on as public state religion in their original form. 2Peoples and Traditions CoveredWell-attestedAncient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Etruria, the Hittites, Mesopotamia and Canaan, together with the Aztec, Maya and Inca religions of the Americas - whose descendant peoples are living communities today. 2StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedA standard historical grouping, with one thing worth saying about the word: polytheism was coined by monotheists for other people's religion, and none of the religions here thought of itself as a member of a class. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedReligions 1BrowseCompareSelect all 18Ancient Egyptian ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)165 linksAncient Greek ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)293 linksAztec ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)124 linksCanaanite ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)23 linksEtruscan ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)20 linksHittite ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)17 linksHurrian ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)8 linksInca ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)34 linksMaya ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)79 linksMesopotamian ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)123 linksMithraismPolytheistic (Historical)23 linksRoman ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)158 linksThe Eleusinian MysteriesPolytheistic (Historical)15 linksNabataean ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)5 linksNazca ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)2 linksPalmyrene ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)4 linksPhrygian ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)1 linkZapotec ReligionPolytheistic (Historical)3 linksLearn MoreHistorical Polytheisms This group holds the historical polytheistic religions, the many-god religions of the ancient world that were once the established faiths of great civilisations and are no longer practised in their original form. They are known through their texts, monuments and the records of their neighbours. The browser will find the religions of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia and other vanished worlds. The atlas describes each as a historical religion, reconstructed from the sources, and distinguishes it from any modern revival, which is classed separately.Sources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. PolytheismView the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year