Rituales de armas y de victoria: Lugares de culto y armamento en el mundo griego

ISBN-13: 9781841716992 / Hiszpański / Miękka / 2005 / 233 str.

Maria Del Mar Gabaldon Martinez; Maria Del Mar Gabaldon Martinez

Opis

In the Greek world the gods were intricately linked to most aspects of life so it should be no surprise that weapons and military equipment were given as offerings to them in Greek sanctuaries. Based on the author's thesis, this study examines how and why this took place, how war, ritual and religion were linked, and includes a catalogue of arms and other pieces of equipment that were dedicated at particular sanctuaries. It concludes that most of the weapons were presented as offerings, and may have been booty from defeated enemuies, and that items from the military panoply were dedications of personal equipment to the gods. Cult places of gods such as Ares, Zeus, Apollo, Artemis and Athena are discussed in turn as the author explores the role of the gods in the celebration and commemoration of victory and the symbolism of trophies. Spanish text.

For the ancient Greeks the rituals that followed all military confrontations carried a special religious and symbolic meaning. These rituals included the erection on the battlefield of a trophy consisting of a wooden frame dressed with the weapons of the enemy and also the ritual offering and exhibition of part of the spoils of war at certain sites of worship. The presence of weapons at sanctuaries is, therefore, a clear indication of the ritual and symbolic value attributed to weapons. In this work, the author investigates the finds of all types of weapons found in areas of Greece devoted to worship. As well as the archaeological evidence, the author explores the epigraphic documents and classical sources providing information related to the Greek practice of dedicating weapons to the gods. Chapter One is a brief introduction to the religious and ritual aspects of war in the ancient Greek world. Chapter Two deals with the subject of the Greek trophy (tropaion) as a victory ritual involving the presence of weapons, and Chapter Three analyses the presence of elements of military equipment elements at sites of worship, including a catalogue of the sanctuaries.