Religion in the Ancient Greek City

Description

This book is a translation into English of La religion grecque by Louise Bruit Zaidman and Pauline Schmitt Pantel, described by Dr Simon Price as 'an excellent book, by far the best introduction to the subject in any language'. It is the purpose of the book to consider how religious beliefs and cultic rituals were given expression in the world of the Greek citizen - the functions performed by the religious personnel, and the place that religion occupied in individual, social and political life. The chapters cover first ritual and then myth, rooting the account in the practices of the classical city while also taking seriously the world of the imagination. For this edition the bibliography has been substantially revised to meet the needs of a mainly student, English-speaking readership. The book is enriched throughout by illustrations, and by quotations from original sources.

"The book is methodologically sophisticated and can be recommended to anyone wishing to be brought up to date in the field of Greek religion." Journal of the American Academy of Religion "...brims with enthusiasm for the subject and for current theoretical approaches." Jon D. Mikalson, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "...an up-to-date, concise and readable textbook, which brings to the English-speaking general reader a synthesis of much of the past thirty years' work of the 'Paris School' of classical studies...The translation is lively, but sacrifices none of the theoretical rigour of the text...This is a challenging, absorbing study, to be recommended to anyone with an interest in the history of religion." Helen King, Times Literary Supplement