The Cosmos in Ancient Greek Religious Experience

Erscheinungsjahr 2021
ISBN: 978-1-108-48817-4
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 278 Seiten, Format (B × H): 183 mm x 260 mm, Gewicht: 748 g

In this book, Efrosyni Boutsikas examines ancient Greek religious performances, intricately orchestrated displays comprising topography, architecture, space, cult, and myth. These various elements were unified in a way that integrated the body within cosmic space and made the sacred extraordinary. Boutsikas also explores how natural light or the night-sky may have assisted in intensifying the experience of these rituals, and how they may have determined ancient perceptions of the cosmos. The author's digital and virtual reconstructions of ancient skyscapes and religious structures during such occurrences unveil a deeper understanding of the importance of time and place in religious experience. Boutsikas shows how they shaped emotions, cosmological beliefs, and ritual memory of the participants. Her study revolutionises our understanding on ancient emotionality and cognitive experience, demonstrating how Greek religious spaces were vibrant arenas of a shared experience of the cosmos.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Boutsikas, Efrosyni

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Umweltgeschichte & Umweltarchäologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Geschichte der klassischen Antike Klassische Archäologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction; 2. Methodological Advances, Approaches, and Considerations; 3. Worship in Space and Time; 4. Astronomy and Perceptual Cognition in Apolline Cults; 5. The Cosmos in Manifestations of Identity, Memory, and Remembrance; 6. Cosmic Time in Greek Mystery Cults; 7. Epilogue.

Über Autor(innen)

Boutsikas, Efrosyni
Efrosyni Boutsikas is Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Kent.