Output
My first monograph A Perfect Medium fathoms Plutarch’s theories of divination in their philosophical contexts, and reconstructs them within the broader framework of Plutarch’s reading of the Timaeus.
I have since then written articles, chapters, and co-edited a volume, on several topics on the philosophy and religion of the first centuries AD.
Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2017), A Perfect Medium? Oracular Divination in the Thought of Plutarch, Leuven, Leuven University Press.
Reviewed by:
- John M. Dillon (Trinity College), International Journal of the Platonic Tradition 14 (2020): 90–2;
- Crystal Addey, BMCR 2019.02.13;
- Carmen Sánchez-Mañas, Cuadernos de filología clásica 29 (2019): 213–16;
- Paolo Scarpi, Civiltà e Religioni 4 (2018): 197–8).
My first monograph A Perfect Medium fathoms Plutarch’s theories of divination in their philosophical contexts, and reconstructs them within the broader framework of Plutarch’s reading of the Timaeus.
I have since then written articles, chapters, and co-edited a volume, on several topics on the philosophy and religion of the first centuries AD.
Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2017), A Perfect Medium? Oracular Divination in the Thought of Plutarch, Leuven, Leuven University Press.
Reviewed by:
- John M. Dillon (Trinity College), International Journal of the Platonic Tradition 14 (2020): 90–2;
- Crystal Addey, BMCR 2019.02.13;
- Carmen Sánchez-Mañas, Cuadernos de filología clásica 29 (2019): 213–16;
- Paolo Scarpi, Civiltà e Religioni 4 (2018): 197–8).
Peer-reviewed edited book:
Peer-reviewed articles in journals:
Peer-reviewed chapters in volumes:
Book reviews (selection):
Other publications:
Invited talks (selection):
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti and Claire Hall (eds.), Divination and Revelation in Later Antiquity. Cambridge University Press (2023).
Peer-reviewed articles in journals:
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2021), ‘Post-Hellenistic Perspectives on Divination, the Individual and the Cosmos’, Social Analysis 65.2: 82–102. - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3167/sa.2021.650205
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2021), ‘Iamblichus and Plutarch on Inspiration’, Mediterranea. International Journal on the Transfer of Knowledge 6: 31–55. - DOI: https://doi.org/10.21071/mijtk.v6i.13039
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2017), ‘L’immagine del saggio nelle opere di Apuleio’, Rheinisches Museum für Philologie 160: 371–392. - https://www.jstor.org/stable/45174333
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2016), ‘L’ideale politico di Plutarco di Cheronea. Tra umano e (semi)divino’, Bollettino della Società Filosofica Italiana 218: 23–41.
Peer-reviewed chapters in volumes:
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2021), The Pythia as Matter: Plutarch’s Scientific Account of Divination. In Crystal Addey (ed.), Divination and Systems of Knowledge in Graeco-Roman Antiquity. London: Routledge, 174–193.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2020), Divination in Plutarch’s Life of Cicero, in Lautaro R. Lanzillotta and Rainer Hirsch-Luipold (eds.), Plutarch and the Ancient Religious Landscape: Paganism, Christianity, Gnosis, and Mystery Cults, Leiden-Boston: Brill, 332–347.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2020), Who is the Best Prophet? The ‘Manifold’ Character of a Quotation in Plutarch, in Maria Vamvouri, Rainer Hirsch-Luipold, T. Schmidt (eds.), The Dynamics of Intertextuality in Plutarch, Leiden-Boston: Brill, 349–361.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2019), Prophetic (?) Dreams in Plutarch, in Andrei Timotin and Paul Magdalino (eds.), Theories of Divination in Late Antiquity and Byzantium, La pomme d’or: Genève, 369–399.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2019), Plutarch and the Neoplatonists: Porphyry, Proklos, Simplikios, in Katerina Oikonomopoulou and Sophia Xenophontos (eds.), Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Plutarch, Leiden–Boston: Brill, 136–153.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2017), La lampada di Ammone come eikôn dell’universo, in S. Amendola, G. Pace and P. Volpe Cacciatore (eds.), Immagini letterarie e iconografia nelle opere di Plutarco, Madrid, 223–230.
Book reviews (selection):
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2021), ‘Lucia Maddalena Tissi, Helmut Seng, Chiara Ombretta Tommasi (éd.), Stimmen der Götter. Orakel und ihre Rezeption von der Spätantike bis in die Frühe Neuzeit, Heidelberg, Universitätsverlag Winter (Bibliotheca Chaldaica, 8), 2019’, L’Antiquité Tardive.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2018), ‘Michael Erler, Martin Andreas Stadler (eds.), Platonismus und spätägyptische Religion: Plutarch und die Ägyptenrezeption in der römischen Kaiserzeit. Beiträge zur Altertumskunde, 364. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017’, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2018.12.26.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2018), ‘Ryan C. Fowler, Imperial Plato. Albinus, Maximus, Apuleius. Text and Translation, with an Introduction and Commentary. Las Vegas-Zurich-Athens: Parmenides Publishing, 2016’, The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition 12.1.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2018), ‘Santana Henríquez, G. ed. (2013), Plutarco y las artes. XI Simposio Internacional de la Sociedad Española de Plutarquistas. Madrid: Ediciones Clásicas’, L’Antiquité Classique 87.
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2015), ‘C. Addey, Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism. Oracles of the Gods, Ashgate, 2014’, Universa. Recensioni di filosofia 2 (4).
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2014), ‘V. Rosenberger (ed.), Divination in the Ancient World. Religious Options and the Individual, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2013’, Universa. Recensioni di filosofia 2 (3).
- Elsa Giovanna Simonetti (2013), ‘A. Timotin, La démonologie platonicienne. Histoire de la notion de Daimôn de Platon aux derniers néoplatoniciens, Brill, 2012’, Universa. Recensioni di filosofia 2 (2).
Other publications:
- Interview to Prof. James Wetzel, in ‘The Leuven Philosophy Newsletter’, vol. 27: 2019–20, pp. 40–44. https://hiw.kuleuven.be/en/study/alumni/newsletter/newsletter2020/
Invited talks (selection):
- 2022 - ‘Salut individuel et salut cosmique dans la pensée de Plutarque de Chéronée’. Invited by Prof. Andrei Timotin. École Pratique des Hautes Études, Sorbonne Panthéon, Salle d’Égyptologie (15 June).
- 2021 - Laboratoire d’excellence sure les Pseudopythagorica - CNRS: ‘The Pythagorean Enigma of Apollonius of Tyana’. Org.: Dr Constantinos Macris, Prof. Luc Brisson, Prof. Tiziano Dorandi (30 Sept.).
- 2021 - International Society for Neoplatonic Studies, Annual Conference: ‘Delphi and the Pythia in Origen’s Contra Celsum’. Invited by Dr Michael Griffin (UBC) in his panel on ‘Delphic Philosophy’ (9 June).
- 2020 - University of Padova. Late-Ancient Philosophy Seminar: ‘Folgori e retorica: Luciano, Zeus e il dialogo filosofico’. Org.: Prof. Maria Grazia Crepaldi (24 Sept.).
- 2019 - University of Tübingen (Germany): Xenocrates: ‘Xenocrates in Plutarch’. Conference: ‘Project Academy’.Org.: Prof. Irmgard Männlein-Robert, Prof. Phillip Horky (1-2 Nov.).
- 2019 - London School of Economics, London (UK): ‘Epictetus, Maximus of Tyre and Dio Chrysostom on Consulting Diviners’. Conference: ‘Ontology and Prediction in Divination: Ethnographic and Historical Perspectives’. Org.: Dr William Matthews (20–21 June).
- 2019 - Guest lecture: ‘Divination as a Science’. In: Dr Phillip Horky’s MA module ‘Technologies of Knowledge in Antiquity’. Durham University, UK (14 March).
- 2019 - Invited respondent to: Irini-Fotini Viltanioti. In: ‘Logic and Exegesis’. Org.: Profs. Irini Viltanioti, Jan Opsomer, Pieter d’Hoine. KU Leuven, Belgium (10-11 Jan.).
- 2018 - The University of Newcastle, Newcastle (UK): ‘Memory and Prediction in the Life of Apollonius of Tyana’. Ancient History Seminar. Org.: Prof. Federico Santangelo (25 Oct.).
- 2018 - Durham University (UK): ‘Theological Oracles’. Conference: ‘Tübingen-Durham Workshop on Neoplatonist Theology’. Org.: Prof. George Boys-Stones (16–18 May).
- 2017 - University of Groningen, Groningen (The Netherlands): ‘Divination in Plutarch’s Life of Cicero’. Conference: ‘Plutarch and the Ancient Religious Landscape: Paganism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Mystery Cults’ (Red/Réseau ‘Ploutarchos’). Org.: Prof. Lautaro R. Lanzillotta and Prof. Reiner Hirsch-Luipold (27–29 Sept.).
- 2015 - Università di Salerno (Italy): ‘La lampada di Ammone come eikôn dell’universo’. Conference: ‘Literary Images and Iconography in Plutarch’s Works’ (Red/Réseau ‘Ploutarchos’). Org.: Prof. Paola Volpe Cacciatore and Prof. Stefano Amendola (3–4 Dec.).