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This is a book for readers who are fascinated by the Moon and the earliest speculations about life on other worlds. It takes the reader on a journey from the earliest Greek poetry, philosophy and science, through Plutarch's mystical doctrines to the thrilling lunar adventures of Lucian of Samosata.
A captivating new interpretation of Lucian as a fictional theorist and writer to stand alongside the novelists of the day.
After many decades of neglect, the last forty years have seen a renewed scholarly appreciation of the literary value of the Greek novel. Within this renaissance of interest, four monographs have been published to date which focus on individual novels; I refer to the specialist studies of Achilles Tatius by Morales and Laplace and those of Chariton of Aphrodisias by Smith and Tilg. This book adds to this short list and takes as its singular focus Xenophon's Ephesiaca. Among the five fully extant Greek novels, the Ephesiaca occupies the position of being an anomaly, since scholars have conventionally considered it to be either a poorly written text or an epitome of a more sophisticated lost or...
Lucian of Samosata, the prolific Greek-speaking satirist of the 2nd century AD, left us a wide range of works ranging from harsh invective against cult-leaders and philosophers to playful pastiche of Herodotus' Histories. Art and artists, teachers of rhetoric, inconsistent myths, parasites in rich households, authors seeking imperial patronage and the rich and powerful themselves all provide rich material for his wit and humour. In this volume the focus is not on the literary values of Lucian's works, but rather on what they show us about the intellectual, political, religious and everyday life of the Imperial period. The articles address themes such as the importance of Latin in the Greek-speaking eastern Empire, rituals of death and mourning, attitudes towards the lands beyond the empire and the role of politics in comedy and satire, both in Lucian's own time and in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. While Lucian's own distinctive personality is impossible to ignore, the picture that emerges is one of both the high intellectual life and everyday behaviour in this vibrant period in the history of the Mediterranean region.
This study illuminates the social, political, economic, and religious lives of those to whom the apostle Paul wrote. It articulates a method for bringing together biblical texts with archaeological remains.
Demonstrates how ancient Roman mural paintings stood at the intersection of contemporary social, ethical, and aesthetic concerns.
Using insights from translation theory, this book uncovers the value of female prophets' riddling prophecies in Greek and Latin poetry.
Ancient prose is intriguingly diverse. This volume explores the dynamics of the Latin and Greek prose of the Roman empire in the forms of biography, novel and apologetics which have historically lacked recognition as uncanonical genres, and yet appear vital today. Focusing on the sophistication in thought and artistic texture to be found within these literary kinds, this volume offers a collection of stimulating essays for students and scholars of literature and culture in antiquity - and beyond.
An Ancient Theory of Religion examines a theory of religion put forward by Euhemerus of Messene (late 4th—early 3rd century BCE) in his lost work Sacred Inscription, and shows not only how and why euhemerism came about but also how it was— and still is—used. By studying the utilization of the theory in different periods—from the Graeco-Roman world to Late Antiquity, and from the Renaissance to the twenty-first century—this book explores the reception of the theory in diverse literary works. In so doing, it also unpacks the different adoptions and misrepresentations of Euhemerus’s work according to the diverse agendas of the authors and scholars who have employed his theory. In the process, certain questions are raised: What did Euhemerus actually claim? How has his theory of the origins of belief in gods been used? How can modern scholarship approach and interpret his take on religion? When referring to ‘euhemerism,’ whose version are we employing? An Ancient Theory of Religion assumes no prior knowledge of euhemerism and will be of interest to scholars working in classical reception, religious studies, and early Christian studies.
The Descent of the Soul and the Archaic explores the motif of kátabasis (a "descent" into an imaginal underworld) and the importance it held for writers from antiquity to the present, with an emphasis on its place in psychoanalytic theory. This collection of chapters builds on Jung’s insights into katabasis and nekyia as models for deep self-descent and the healing process which follows. The contributors explore ancient and modern notions of the self, as obtained through a "descent" to a deeper level of imaginal experience. With an awareness of the difficulties of applying contemporary psychological precepts to ancient times, the contributors explore various modes of self-formation as a process of discovery. Presented in three parts, the chapters assess contexts and texts, goddesses, and theoretical alternatives. This book will be of interest to scholars and analysts working in wide-ranging fields, including classical studies, all schools of psychoanalysis, especially Jung’s, and postmodern thought, especially the philosophy of Deleuze.