In an era marked by the intensification of irrationalism and religious fanaticism, the issue of superstition and credulity comes back into focus.

This phenomenon is addressed, each from a different perspective, by the authors of the three texts that are translated and annotated in this volume: Lucian in "On the False Believers," Plutarch in "On Superstition," and Theophrastus in "The Moralist."

Weaponized sometimes by satire and caricature and at other times by profound reflection, these three authors engage with a phenomenon that shows no signs of retreat.

Although they originate from another time, the texts in this volume can reveal an aspect of our own identity that we usually prefer not to confront.

Cover image: A red-figure kylix from the late 4th century BC depicting a Siren from Poseidonia (Paestum) in Southern Italy. The Siren holds a wreath in one hand and a plate of fruit in the other; her wings resemble those of a starling. Attributed to the Painter of Asteas. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.)