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This is the first synthetic study of the use and significance of light in Greek ritual and belief of the Archaic and Classical periods - from the 7th to the 4th century BCE. Based on all available evidence, from literary texts to the representation of light in vase painting and remains of sanctuaries, it treats light both as a concept associated with a divine persona and as an artefact in the hands of the gods or during human worship.
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Synopsis:
This is a synthetic study of the use and significance of light in ancient Greek cult of the Archaic and Classical periods (from the seventh to the fourth century BCE). It is based on all the available evidence, ranging from literary texts and inscriptions to representations of light in vase-painting and sculpture, and surviving physical remains from excavations of Greek sanctuaries. Light is treated both as an abstract component of brightness which forms part of the nature of the gods and as an artifact which assumes concrete forms in divine hands. As a possession of mortals, light is found to have been regularly involved in contact with the gods. A variety of rituals are discussed in connection with the types and amount of light that they required, and reconstructions are suggested of the different roles that light played in them. This book shows that the involvement of light in Greek cult was a complex phonomenon which penetrated a great variety of ritual practices and religious beliefs surrounding the worship of gods in Archaic and Classical Greece.
About the Author:
Lorna Hardwick is Senior Lecturer in Classical Studies at the Open Unversity.
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- PublisherBristol Classical Press
- Publication date2000
- ISBN 10 0715629344
- ISBN 13 9780715629345
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages256
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The Light of the Gods: The Role of Light in Archaic and Classical Greek Culture
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Bristol Classical Press
(2000)
ISBN 10: 0715629344
ISBN 13: 9780715629345
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. Seller Inventory # c063101
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THE LIGHT OF THE GODS The Role of Light in Archaic and Classical Greek Cult
Published by
Bristol Classical Press
(2000)
ISBN 10: 0715629344
ISBN 13: 9780715629345
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Hardcover
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. Faint rubbing to DJ. ; 9.6 X 6.1 X 1.0 inches; 256 pages. Seller Inventory # 35536
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The Light of the Gods: The Role of Light in Archaic and Classical Greek Cult.
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London: Duckworth
(2000)
ISBN 10: 0715629344
ISBN 13: 9780715629345
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Book Description Cloth with dustjacket. Condition: Gut. XV, 256 p.: Ill. Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langjährigem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Schutzumschlag berieben, minimale Randläsuren, sonst sehr guter Zustand / dust jacket rubbed, minimal edgewear, otherwise very good condition. - This is the first synthetic study of the use and significance of light in ancient Greek cult of the Archaic and Classical periods (from the seventh to the fourth century BCE). It is based on all the available evidence, ranging from literary texts and inscriptions to representations of light in vase-painting and sculpture, and surviving physical remains from excavations of Greek sanctuaries. Light is treated both as an abstract component of brightness which forms part of the nature of the gods and as an artifact which assumes concrete forms in divine hands. As a possession of mortals, light is found to have been regularly involved in their contact with gods. Religious rituals are discussed in connection with the types and amount of light that they required, and reconstructions are suggested of the different roles that light played in them. The Light of the Gods shows that the involvement of light in Greek cult was a complex phenomenon which penetrated a great variety of ritual practices and religious beliefs surrounding the worship of gods in Archaic and Classical Greece. Extensively illustrated with photographs and line drawings, the book will be of interest to archaeologists at all levels, and also to students of Greek cultural history and religion. / Contents Acknowledgements Illustration Sources Conventions and Abbreviations Introduction: Aspects of Divine and Earthly Light I. Light in Early Greek Religious Thought and Practice 1. The Lamp of Athena in Homer 2. Lighting devices in early Greece II. Keeping a Flame Alive 1. The ever-burning Lamp in the temple of Athena Polias 2. Sacred lights on the Athenian Akropolis 3. Transferring sacred light: torch-races (lampadêdromiai) III. Light in Rites of Passage 1. Birth 2. Nursing divine and mortal children 3. Pre-nuptial rites 4. The wedding 5. The day after the wedding (Epaulia) 6. Death and afterlife IV. Pollution-Repelling Fire 1. Purification from the miasma of death 2. Use of fire in prayer and divination 3. Pure fire and love-making V. Light-Bearing Divine Images 1. Cult-statues and divine images involving light 2. The swiftly walking goddess and the source of her light 3. Torch-lit libations 4. Receiving worshippers and sacrifice 5. Divine assemblies VI. Fire and Light in Divine Hunting and Divine Retribution 1. Divine hunting and black hunting 2. Light and fire as divine weapons 3. The torch of war 4. Light and fire as symbols of destruction and justice among mortals VII. The Fire and Light of the Senses 1. Bright and burning images of emotions 2. Divinely inspired emotions; the fire of the maenads VIII. Cultivation and Prosperity of Land: Fire as a Creative Power 1. Fire and grain rituals 2. Thesmophoria and Haloa 3. Natural abundance in a Dionysiac context: the wedding of Dionysos and Ariadne (hieros gamos) 4. The fire of satyrs - creative fire IX. Use of Light in the Worship of the Gods 1. The cult of Demeter and Persephone 2. The cult of Artemis 3. The cult of Athena 4. Use of light in nocturnal feasts for the gods (pannukhides) Conclusion Notes Catalogues of Vases and Sculptures: 1-9 Bibliography Vase Shapes Glossary List of Literary Works Cited General Index Topographical Index. ISBN 9780715629345 Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 590. Seller Inventory # 1188585
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