Synopses & Reviews
This fascinating book offers a series of in-depth studies of the beliefs, attitudes, and rituals surrounding death in ancient Greece from the Minoan and Mycenean period to the end of the classical age. Drawing on a wide range of evidence--from literary texts, to inscriptions, to images in art--the author sheds light on many key, still problematic, aspects of Greek life, myth, and literature. Among the topics discussed are the world of the dead in Homer; grave monuments; the myths of Charon, Hermes, and the journey of death; and the shifting attitudes toward death in a changing society. The book also looks at the problem of "reading" this material within the context of our own culturally-determined beliefs.
Review
"Sourvinou-Inwood makes a valuable contribution to classical studies by mining the available evidence with an intellectually stimulating methodology and challenging thesis....[This book is] as well written as it is well argued.--History
Synopsis
This book offers a series of in-depth studies of the beliefs, attitudes, and rituals surrounding death in ancient Greece, from the Minoan and Mycenean period to the end of the classical age. Drawing on a wide range of evidence--from literary texts, to inscriptions, to images in art--Sourvinou-Inwood sheds light on many key, still problematic, aspects of Greek life, myth, and literature. She also looks at the problem of "reading" this material within the context of our own culturally-determined beliefs.