Ancient Greek Religion - Paperback

by Emily Kearns (Editor)

Ancient Greek Religion: Historical Sources in Translation presents a wide range of documents relating to the religious world of the ancient Greeks from the earliest surviving literature to around the end of the fourth century BCE.

• Presents a wide range of documents relating to the religious world of the ancient Greeks, from the earliest surviving literature to around the end of the fourth century BCE
• Provides extensive background information for readers with no previous knowledge of classical studies
• Brings together new and rare passages for comparison - with occasional new interpretations - to appeal to professionals
• Offers a variety of less frequently examined material and looks at familiar texts in new ways
• Includes the use of extensive cross-referencing to indicate the interconnectedness of different aspects of religious practice and thought
• Includes the most comprehensive commentary and updated passages available in a single volume

Back Jacket

Ancient Greek Religion: Historical Sources in Translation presents a wide range of documents relating to the religious world of the ancient Greeks. Drawn from literary texts and inscriptions from the earliest surviving literature of the Archaic Period to the age of Alexander and his successors, the carefully chosen passages shed light on the beliefs, rituals, and hierarchy of deities that formed the religious framework of life in ancient Greece. The extant documents - including many lesser known fragmentary texts - serve to illustrate the importance and diversity of religious ritual, as well as the many ways in which Greeks conceptualized the gods and related stories about them. Further insights are gained through section introductions that set the documents in context, detailed commentary that clarifies and illuminates individual passages, and copious cross-references that reveal the interconnectedness of varied aspects of religious practice and thought.

Ancient Greek Religion is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the religious practices of one of the world's greatest civilizations.

Author Biography

Emily Kearns is lecturer in Classical Languages and Literature and a Senior Research Fellow at St Hilda's College, University of Oxford. She is co-editor with Simon Price of the Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion (2003) and author of Heroes of Attica (1989).