In Search of the Dioskouroi. Image, Myth and Cult

In Search of the Dioskouroi. Image, Myth and Cult PDF Author: Sarah V. Graham
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1803278242
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
This book re-examines the Greek Dioskouroi, Kastor and Polydeukes, exploring their roles in image, myth, and cult. Case studies focus on their homelands in myth – Sparta, Messene, and Argos – and areas where Greek mariners sought their protection. Findings suggest that, for the Greeks, the term ‘Dioskouroi’ may have held a specific votive meaning.

In Search of the Dioskouroi. Image, Myth and Cult

In Search of the Dioskouroi. Image, Myth and Cult PDF Author: Sarah V. Graham
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1803278242
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
This book re-examines the Greek Dioskouroi, Kastor and Polydeukes, exploring their roles in image, myth, and cult. Case studies focus on their homelands in myth – Sparta, Messene, and Argos – and areas where Greek mariners sought their protection. Findings suggest that, for the Greeks, the term ‘Dioskouroi’ may have held a specific votive meaning.

Taking Ancient Mythology Economically

Taking Ancient Mythology Economically PDF Author: Silver
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004674330
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
The primary objective of this study is to decipher the 'codes' or polysemous signs of many prominent myths of the Graeco-Roman and Near Eastern worlds and thereby to expose their hidden economic meaning. The study is highlighted by analyses of the following themes: Birth of Athena from Zeus' Head, Perseus and the Gorgon, and Gilgamesh in the Cedar Forest; Oedipus of Thebes and the biblical myth of the Five Golden Tumors; Semele the daughter of Kadmos; Heroic Twins; Labors of Herakles; Cain, Janus, and the Rainbow; Dogs as Merchants and Male Prostitutes; Virgin Priestesses in Treasuries; Danae and the Birth of Perseus and the biblical myth of the 'House of Rahab'; Circuiting Gods; Contest Between Athena and Poseidon for Supremacy in Athens; and Hermes versus Apollo, David and his Lyre at King Saul's Court, and Gilgamesh the Infernal Musician. A striking result of these studies is the extent to which ancient myths are saturated by economic content, especially commercial idioms and the standardized gestures required of contractors. It becomes quite clear that the ancients were far more aware of and interested in the economy than many contemporary scholars give them credit for.

Dioskouroi

Dioskouroi PDF Author: Chrysanthi Gallou
Publisher: British Archaeological Reports Oxford Limited
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
31 essays on the Bronze Age Aegean which cover a wide range of topics. They are grouped under the following headings: cult and death; Bronze Age material culture; gender; approaches to art; themes of ancient and modern identity; Homer once again; landscape and survey; ancient geography and regional studies; Sparta and Laconia.

Zeus

Zeus PDF Author: Arthur Bernard Cook
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Classical antiquities
Languages : en
Pages : 574

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Book Description


Archaic Greek Equestrian Sculpture

Archaic Greek Equestrian Sculpture PDF Author: Mary Ann Eaverly
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 9780472103515
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
This welcome volume examines the use and meaning of equestrian statues in Archaic Greece, relying not only on a full catalog of the sculptures but also on the rich comparative material in the literary and archaeological remains. Previous works have either crowded this important material into a large study of all equestrian statues everywhere or else have examined only those few that belong to the Athenian Acropolis. It has therefore been difficult to characterize the style and distribution of this sculpture, let alone examine them within their cultural milieu. Mary Ann Eaverly carries out precisely these important tasks. The first half of the volume identifies the unique characteristics of equestrian statues as a type apart from other Archaic sculpture. The author places the sculptures within their historical and cultural context and considers critical factors such as cultic activity, aristocratic symbolism, and the influence of Peisistratos. The second half of the volume is a catalog that discusses all the extant pieces individually. Archaic Greek Equestrian Sculpture will be of interest to students and scholars of Greek sculpture, the Greek artistic heritage, and the complex history of Archaic Greece.

The Hero Cults of Sparta

The Hero Cults of Sparta PDF Author: Nicolette A. Pavlides
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350198056
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
This book examines the hero-cults of Sparta on the basis of the archaeological and literary sources. Nicolette Pavlides explores the local idiosyncrasies of a pan-Hellenic phenomenon, which itself can help us understand the place and function of heroes in Greek religion. Although it has long been noted that hero-cult was especially popular in Sparta, there is little known about the cults, both in terms of material evidence and the historical context for their popularity. The evidence from the cult of Helen and Menelaos at the Menelaion, the worship of Agamemnon and Alexandra/Kassandra, the Dioskouroi, and others who remain anonymous to us, is viewed as a local phenomenon reflective of the developing communal and social consciousness of the polis. What is more, through an analysis of the typology of cults, it is concluded that in Sparta, the boundaries of the divine/heroic/mortal were fluid, which allowed a great variation in the expression of cults. The votive patterns, topography, and architectural evidence permit an analysis of the kinds of offerings to hero-cults and an evaluation of the architecture that housed such cults. Due to the material and spatial distribution of the votive deposits, it is argued that Sparta had a large number of hero shrines scattered throughout the polis, which attests to an enthusiastic and long-lasting local votive practice at a popular level.

The Twin Horse Gods

The Twin Horse Gods PDF Author: Henry John Walker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857738089
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
The twin deities known by the ancient Greeks as the Dioskouroi, and by the Romans as the Gemini, were popular figures in the classical world. They were especially connected with youth, low status and service, and were embraced by the common people in a way that eluded those gods associated with regal magnificence or the ruling classes. Despite their popularity, no dedicated study has been published on the horse gods for over a hundred years. Henry John Walker here addresses this neglect. His comparative study traces the origins, meanings and applications of the twin divinities to social and ritual settings in Greece, Vedic India (where the brothers named Castor and Pollux were revered as Indo-European gods called the Asvins), Etruria and classical Rome. In the Bronze and Early Iron Ages of Vedic India, the young horse gods are seen to have markedly similar characteristics to their Greco-Roman counterparts. Quick to come to the rescue of those in trouble, the Asvins are ready to assist the old, the weak and the humble. Charting the parallels and correspondences between these ancient myths, Walker uncovers not a single, universal coda but rather a great variety of loosely related beliefs and practices relating to the sibling deities. He demonstrates, for example, that, just as the Dioskouroi were regarded as being halfway between gods and men, so young Spartans – undergoing a fierce and uncompromising military training – saw themselves as standing midway between animal and human. Such diverse and creative interpretations of the myth seem to have played a central role in the culture and society of antiquity.

Greek Heroine Cults

Greek Heroine Cults PDF Author: Jennifer Lynn Larson
Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN: 9780299143701
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
This is the first book to show that the worship of heroines, as well as of gods and heroes, was widespread in the Greek world from the eighth through the fourth centuries B.C. Drawing upon textual, archaeological, and iconographic evidence as diverse as ancient travel writing, ritual calendars, votive reliefs, and Euripidean drama, Jennifer Larson demonstrates the pervasiveness of heroine cults at every level of Athenian society. Larson reveals that a broad range of heroic cults existed throughout the Greek world, encompassing not only individuals but couples (Pelops and Hippodameia, Alexandra and Agamemnon, Helen and Menelaos) and families such as those of Asklepios and the Dioskouroi. She shows how heroic cults reinforced the Greeks' gender expectations for both women and men through ritual status, iconography, and narrative motifs. Finally, Larson looks at the intersection of heroine cults with specific topics such as myths of maiden sacrifice, the Amazons, the role of the goddess Artemis, and folk beliefs about female "ghosts."

Temple Decoration and Cultural Identity in the Archaic Greek World

Temple Decoration and Cultural Identity in the Archaic Greek World PDF Author: Clemente Marconi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521857970
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
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Greek Religion

Greek Religion PDF Author: Walter Burkert
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118724976
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 519

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Book Description
"Greek Religion . . . already has the standing of a classic, and the publication of an English version, which incorporates new material and is in effect a second edition, demands a toast . . . Anyone who pretends to survey Greek religion must be phenomenally learned. Burkert is. His book is a marvel of professional scholarship." London Review of Books "This book has established itself as a masterpiece, packed with learning but also rich in ideas and connections of every sort. Its appearance in a good English translation is an event not only for Hellenists but for all those interested in the study of religion . . . nobody else could have produced an account of the subject of comparable range and power. This will be the best history of Greek religion for this generation." New York Review of Books Cover illustration: detail from an Attic vase, 450 B.C., showing a victory sacrifice (The Mansell Collection).