Divine Mania: Alteration of Consciousness in Ancient Greece

ISBN-13: 9780367594268 / Angielski / Miękka / 2020 / 396 str.

Yulia Ustinova

Opis

Divine mania comprises a fascinating array of experiences, which could be voluntary or involuntary, intense or mild, and were interpreted as an invasive divine power within one’s mind, or illumination granted by a superhuman being. Greece was unique in its attitude to alteration of consciousness and the prominent position of the divine

Spis treści

Introduction  1. Prophetic mania  2. Telestic mania and near-death experiences  3. Bakcheia  4. Mania on the battlefield and on the march  5. Nympholepsy  6. Poetic mania  7. Erotic mania  8. The philosopher’s mania and his path to truth  Epilogue: Perspectives on divine mania

O autorze

Yulia Ustinova is Associate Professor at the Department of General History, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Her research focuses on ancient Greek religion and its role within the society. In addition to the study of textual and archaeological sources, her approach is based on the application of results of cognitive neuroscience, anthropology, and sociology to the interpretation of historical phenomena.