Battling the gods: Atheism in the Ancient World - Softcover

Tim Whitmarsh's brilliant new book about ancient atheism makes a compelling case that various forms of religious disbelief have been with us for the past two and a half millennia, with greater and lesser degrees of cultural prominence ... This is an invigorating, urgent book that makes an important contribution to a central contemporary debate. ' (Guardian Emily Wilson)

As learned as it is intellectually thrilling. Covering the millenium and more that separates Homer from Theodosius the Great, Battling the Gods fills a gap that probably few of us had even been aware of, and does so comprehensively ... The great achievement of Battling the Gods is to trace in a manner that can be followed readily the evolution of sceptical attitudes towards the divine across the whole span of ancient history. (Tom Holland New Statesman)

In the face of many crude modern discussions of atheism . . . , it's great to have Tim Whitmarsh's sophisticated exploration of various versions of ancient disbelief. (Mary Beard)

[A] lively, learned and cliche-busting book. In a work of openly committed scholarship, [Whitmarsh] aims to rescue ancient doubt and disbelief from a long tradition of slander and opprobrium. And he has an eye-opening story to tell. (Boyd Tonkin Independent)

A well-written and fascinating glimpse of the Greek philosophers and writers who are the founding fathers of modern atheism ... Whitmarsh is an adept historian, but perhaps a better matchmaker, as he introduces us to entertaining, savvy and sometimes raucous ancient thinkers who can be easily paired with the new atheists of the 21st century. (Candida Moss Times Higher Education Supplement)

Excellent ... Whitmarsh's book deserves to be read for its verve and quality but also because the more the existence of the rich history and heritage of humanist thought is known by the public, the better it will be for society. (Andrew Copson New Humanist)

A beautifully written and highly persuasive account. (Peter Jones Literary Review)

As [t]his book lays out, the history of atheism is as lengthy and nuanced as the history of faith ... In examining atheism, Whitmarsh also offers an admirably clear overview of Greek philosophical thought, and thoughtful treatment of the issue of orthodoxy in all religions. (Imogen West-Knights Financial Times)

Battling the Gods is a timely and wonderfully lively reminder that atheism is as old as belief. Skepticism . . . was there, fully formed and spoiling for a fight, in the bracing, combative air of ancient Athens. That the fight was never decisively won - or lost - only makes its history, as this book shows, all the more gripping. (Stephen Greenblatt)

If you have ever wondered about premature skeptics who questioned beliefs held sacrosanct in their own time - such as religion or slavery in the ancient world - this is the book for you. It is a pure delight to be introduced to people who questioned the supernatural long before modern science provided physical evidence to support the greatest insights of human reason. (Susan Jacoby)

Tim Whitmarsh is the A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University. A well-known specialist in the civilisations of ancient Greece and Rome, he has appeared on BBC radio and TV, and written for the Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, London Review of Books and Literary Review.