From Oroskopia to Ouranoskopia in Greek and Latin Epic

This article discusses oroskopia, gods looking at human affairs from a mountain, in terms of a topos with a collective intertextual tradition. That tradition was started by Homer who depicts Zeus looking down from Olympus or nearby Ida. After Homer the mountain Olympus as divine vantage point largely disappears in favour of heaven, and we may speak of ouranoskopia. Gods continue to watch events from local mountains in the vicinity of the action, which usually also have a symbolic force in that they are connected to the god via literary or cultic associations