ABSTRACT
Pilgrimage does make a fleeting appearance in another collection on Roman religion, but it seems fair to say that at first glance pilgrimage is not a relevant topic of Greek or Roman religion. There are two more important aspects of pilgrimage touched upon by Jas Elsner. First, he notices that 'A religious tourist visiting sacred sites is not simply a tourist: he or she is also a pilgrim'. As a sweeping statement, this can hardly be true. For a start, religious tourists can visit sacred sites of other religions or churches without therefore being pilgrims. A second aspect stressed by Jas Elsner is that of Pausanias providing a civic identity for his readers. Samothrace is an island without natural harbours, and the strong winds from the north and those from its mile-high mountain made approaching the sanctuary and the city of Samothrace, which were both located on the northern side of the island, a rather dangerous business.
