Pindar and the Cult of Heroes (Oxford Classical Monographs) - Softcover

Currie, Bruno

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199586705 ISBN 13: 9780199586707

Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 2010

Synopsis

Pindar and the Cult of Heroes combines a study of Greek culture and religion (hero cult) with a literary-critical study of Pindar's epinician poetry. It looks at hero cult generally, but focuses especially on heroization in the 5th century B.C. . There are individual chapters on the heroization of war dead, of athletes, and on the religious treatment of the living in the 5th century. Hero cult, Bruno Currie argues, could be anticipated, in different ways, in a person's lifetime. Epinician poetry too should be interpreted in the light of this cultural context; fundamentally, this genre explores the patron's religious status. The book features extensive studies of Pindar's Pythians 2, 3, 5, Isthmian 7, and Nemean 7.

About this title

Review

Review from previous edition In this stimulating first book, Bruno Currie presents a well-defined, well-informed and not uncontroversial study. (Deborah Boedeker, Journal of Hellenic Studies)

...any study, which questions traditional scholarly notions of what went on in Greek religion, is refreshing...Currie's study has certainly opened up new ways of thinking about both the purpose and the institution of hero-cults, which will hopefully stimulate yet further work on Greek heroes. (Gunnel Ekroth, Kernos)

About the Author

Bruno Currie is Fellow and Tutor in Greek and Latin Languages and Literature, Oriel College, Oxford University

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0199586705
• ISBN 13: 9780199586707
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 504