Sanctuaries and the Sacred in the Ancient Greek World

ISBN-13: 9780521006354 / Angielski / Miękka / 2005 / 292 str.

John Pedley

Opis

This book explores the variety of ancient Greek sanctuaries--their settings, spaces, shapes, and structures--and the rituals associated with them, such as festivals and processions, sacrifice and libation, dining and drinking, prayer and offering, dance, initiation, consultation, and purification. Subsequent chapters trace the consequences of the Roman conquest, the triumph of Christianity, as well as the impact of Turks, travelers, archaeologists, and tourists on these sites. Featuring an exhaustive glossary and bibliography, the volume provides an accessible, authoritative introduction to ancient Greek sanctuaries and their ritual activities.

Recenzje

'Intended for students and general readers, this is a masterly survey of a big subject. There is a fascinating glimpse of the seventeenth-century Turkish traveller Evliya Chelebi, author of a 10-volume study of the Ottoman empire, who 'has much in common with our old friend Pausanias': the Parthenon was for him a multicultural monument. Appropriately expressing its emphasis on what shrines looked like, the book is lavishly illustrated with black-and-white photographs, drawings, maps and plans; a useful glossary is included. The paperback is markedly good value.' The Anglo-Hellenic Review

Spis treści

1. Introduction; 2. Setting the stage; 3. Growth and variety; 4. The siting of sanctuaries; 5. Architecture for the Gods: sacred building; 6. Activities and experiences I; 7. Activities and experiences II: offerings; 8. Sanctuary histories: Olympia; 9. Sanctuary histories: Delphi; 10. Sanctuary histories: Samos; 11. Sanctuary histories: Poseidonia; 12. Sanctuary histories: the Acropolis at Athens; 13. Greece, Rome and Byzantium; 14. The aftermath.