This handbook offers both students and teachers of ancient Greek religion a comprehensive overview of the current state of scholarship in the subject; from the Archaic to the Hellenistic periods. It not only presents key information; but also explores the ways in which such information is gathered and the different approaches that have shaped the area. In doing so; the volume provides a crucial research and orientation tool for students of the ancient world; and also makes a vital contribution to the key debates surrounding the conceptualization of ancient Greek religion. The handbook's initial chapters lay out the key dimensions of ancient Greek religion; approaches to evidence; and the representations of myths. The following chapters discuss the continuities and differences between religious practices in different cultures; including Egypt; the Near East; the Black Sea; and Bactria and India. The range of contributions emphasizes the diversity of relationships between mortals and the supernatural - in all their manifestations; across; between; and beyond ancient Greek cultures - and draws attention to religious activities as dynamic; highlighting how they changed over time; place; and context.
#3682779 in Books 2010-11-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.40 x 1.50 x 9.30l; 2.30 #File Name: 0199541930352 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very interesting Western view of the early PRCBy HowardAn interesting book that illuminates well the nature of official dealing with the fledgling Peoples Republic of China as well as the interesting characters of the credulous fellow travellers ; jaded Labour Party politicians; alcoholic Trotskyists and eccentric artists that made up the British delegations to the new communist behemoth.The details of how the Chinese side presented the carefully crafted and fairly artificial image of new China to the Western visitors makes for interesting reading and has much in common with what a Western tourist in North Korea today would experience than that of a contemporary tourist in the PRC; notwithstanding the artificial shut down of Hangzhou last week (at time of writing). China nowadays is of course far more open; but the uncompromising insistence on the official version of reality and the brazenly self-interested interpretation of historical and political events remains.The details of the the travel arrangements are; on their own; interesting stories - particularly the stop off in Russia. There are certainly familiar echoes for those of us who have travelled around Asia.One minor criticism would be that I believe the author falls in to the common trap of assuming that Zhou Enlai was somehow a great guy. There have been plenty of charming psychopaths in history and being the human face of Maoism doesn’t require very much humanity at all! I would argue that Zhou was merely more conscious of the fact that the various crimes of Mao and the Communists would inevitably come out at some point and he quietly made sure he was politically well positioned to look like a break on the madness instead of a complicit part of it when the inevitable critical historical scrutiny comes to the Mainland.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Beeyunggreat book1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fellow TravelersBy Christian SchlectWhen the revolutionary People's Republic of China came into being out of the ashes of World War II; it was firmly in the orbit of the USSR with the United States hostile to its existence. While the government of Great Britain was supportive of the United States; many of that country's artists; intellectuals and labor leaders favored the overthrow of Chinese warlords; wicked land-owners; and corrupt politicians: they celebrated the arrival of a clean communist state of the workers.Patrick Wright's book tells the story; from a British perspective; of a number of these left-leaning; if not communist; individuals (mostly men but a few women) who made their way in the early 1950s to Mao's new China.While the central focus of the book is on the PRC; there is a good amount of interesting material on travel through Russia while en route to the Middle Kingdom.One comes away from reading this book with a reminder of how hard it was to travel long distances in the days before commercial jets; how isolated China was from the Western world; how the success of group travel always comes down to individuals; how truth fell victim to the needs of the new rulers; and how innocent were these good people of the terror that Mao would soon unleash on his country's people. I most appreciated the cultural and political comparisons made by the author related to art and artists; specifically telling insights involving Paul Hogarth and Stanley Spencer.
